You, Me and this crazy world
by iris0011
Summary: COMPLETE! After a serious disagreement with a yakuzza group's leader, Ichigo and Orihime decide to go into hiding for a short time. Cut away from the outside world, just the two of them, will they find a way to finally make out their feelings for each other?
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's notes:** Hey, there, fellow Ichihime lovers! I want to start a new multi-chapter story, and several plot ideas have been running over in my head... I finally decided to try out this one, and see if you would be interested in seeing how it would go. So, please tell me what you think of the setup. This chapter is more of a prelude, so please read the summary for further details! _

_**Summary:** Orihime and Ichigo become the top targets of a highly dangerous yakuzza group's leader, who – to make things even more complicated – is a runaway ex-soul reaper, hiding and making a living in the real world. To protect his friend, Ichigo decides it's the safest if they go into hiding for a short time... Cut away from the outside world, just the two of them, will they find a way to make out their feelings for each other?_

_**Setting:** Final year in Karakura High. Ichigo already has his powers back. _

_**Estimated length:** Dunno. Maybe 15 chapters or longer. Will update irregularly, as the mood strikes me..._

_**Motivation:** a character and/or relationship development centered story. _

_**Disclaimer:** I own my computer. I own the fingers that type. I own this silly head, full of the thoughts making the characters move in this story. I do not own Bleach. _

**You, Me, and this crazy world**

_Chapter 1_

Foreboding

Ichigo was having a bad day. To begin with: it was raining. Again. He decided this had to be the most rainy and ugly November the world has seen so far... But the day being rainy hadn't stopped her boss, Ikumi Unagia in sending him to the town's most far away corner on a mission she could have done herself, more conveniently and remaining dry, having a car and a driving license. But she had had to send him. Twice. Because she had forgotten something at first. Uh! And people still had the nerves to tell him how lucky he was to have a job!

He had arrived home, being soaking wet, shivering, and grumpy. He had taken a long shower, and right now he was pulling on the warm and dry clothes gladly, readying himself for dinner. God, he was starving! Lunch seemed ages ago... He opened his bedroom door, and was about to descend the stairs, when he suddenly froze. He wrinkled his nose, as the smell coming from the kitchen reached it. He scowled, growling inwardly. Of course this had to be the day that Yuzu chose to make fish... He really couldn't stand it, but always put on a brave face, because all the other members of the family liked it. And he didn't want to hurt his sister's feelings, who worked so much, doing all the household work. He supposed the least he could do for her in return was to eat and praise everything she put before him. She was a really good cook, and it wasn't her fault that he disliked fish. To him, it tasted like mud... But Yuzu was always going on about it's benefits for health and mental skills, so he never had the heart to enlighten her about his aversion. So he ate the fish dutifully. Every other week...

He sighed, and continued his way downstairs. In truth, his bad mood wasn't the result of the rainy day, or his crazy boss. It wasn't even the result of fish... All afternoon, he had this strange unsettling feeling hovering over him, just out of his conscious mind's reach. Like he had forgotten something. Something important...

It was instinct. A sense of foreboding. Like something was about to happen.

He had never been superstitious, and not even being able to see ghosts had changed that. If somebody else would have told him about feelings similar to these, he would only have laughed. But, as it happened, he had these feelings from time to time, and they never meant well...

He pushed his dark thoughts deep inside his mind, as he walked inside the kitchen. Maybe him being moody didn't signal anything bad after all, it was just the fact that he was kind of moody most of the time, always prepared for bad... and when something wrong did happen, he felt he had the right to tell 'Told you so!' to himself. So, maybe nothing worse would happen today than him having to stomach smelly fish.

All his family was already sitting around the table, waiting for him.

'About time, Ichi-nii! I was beginning to think you've drown yourself or something! Well, sit down, I'm starving!' Karin snapped as soon as she spotted him.

'Yeah! And your sister here had been so cruel, not letting me have even a nibble before you arrived... she even hit Daddy's hand with the ladle!' Isshin whined dramatically, in the tone a 3 year would use after serious mistreatment...

Ichigo went to his place and sat down.

'Hump! Couldn't care less! I needed that shower! I don't want to end up with pneumonia, and miss even more classes than I already had! This is my final year, you know, and I don't have any intention of needlessly lengthening my time sitting in school desks!'

'Wow! Aren't we snappy today...' Isshin teased.

Yuzu came to stand next to Ichigo. She put the dish before him, wearing a huge smile.

'Of course you needed that shower, Onii-chan! Your boss is so cruel, making you go out in this bad weather! I thought you'd fallen into the river, when you got home!' She brushed some of his still wet bangs out of his eyes in an affectionate way. Ichigo couldn't help smiling back.

He had began to notice lately how much both his sisters have grown... they had matured, really. Karin was taller, more slender, and she was now spending less time playing soccer with her childhood friends. Instead, she was reading shonen manga, and played on the internet. Yuzu was becoming simply beautiful, in an angelic way. She was starting to resemble their mother more day by day. She had even grown her hair, and was now using those dangerous things women called make-up... Ichigo had to start thinking about how to keep "admirers" away from her in future...

Now speaking about admirers... Ichigo had a friend, who needed just the same kind of protection all the time. Luckily, he wasn't the only one to be looking out for Inoue. Tatsuki, Ishida and Chad could all be trusted with that. At least Yuzu was aware to some extent of the drawbacks of her grown charms... (Maybe living with a perverted father had it's advantages too.) Last week she had been the one to ask for his help, when she had noticed a shady stranger stalk her. But Inoue was just too naive, and caught up in her own little world most of the time to notice things like that, before she would find herself in a bad situation.

Yuzu served the dinner, and Ichigo ate quietly, for once not really noticing the fish's taste in his mouth. When his thoughts turned to Inoue, these strange feelings of foreboding had just doubled themselves. What ever was his problem, anyway? He didn't know about anything happening with her, he had no reason to believe she wasn't perfectly fine! Besides, he could always call her.

This thought consoled him. Yes, he would call her right away, after dinner. He would pass the thing off as wanting details on some school-work... He just couldn't tell her he was having uneasy feelings about her... she would think he was becoming mad. Right... Inoue never thought anybody was mad, but still...

The family ate in the usual manner, with occasional bickering and staff. When finally everybody finished the meal, they settled in the living room. Karin turned on the TV, and was watching the evening news. The newsreader was going on about some mad men breaking into a bakery, and taking the whole staff and some of the guests as hostages.

_'… armed with guns. The police called for the aid of an expert. According to our information, 5 women and 4 men are held captive, and at least one of them is badly injured, most likely the owner of the shop. The officer in charge asks all inhabitants of Karakura to stay away from the vicinity of the bakery. More information about the shocking crisis on our website...'_

Ichigo was heading for the phone, intending to call Orihime, but he stopped and turned back to the TV, when he heard the drama was happening in Karakura town... His eyes widened, and were glued to the screen.

Yuzu and Isshin were talking about their plans for the weekend, happily engrossed in the list of things they wanted to buy when going to the large shopping center. They didn't follow the newsreader's announcement at all...

Yuzu suddenly turned to his brother.

'And what are your plans for this weekend, Onii-chan?'

Right at that moment, the TV screen showed the bakery's front, with the line of police cars in front of it. Ichigo went rigid, as he recognized the place.

'Fuck! Inoue!'

Isshin chuckled.

'I wouldn't say that's a bad idea, but how does that even come here? Hey, and make sure you use protection, got that?' Isshin turned back, smirking. He was sure he would find himself facing an irritated Ichigo, ready to punch his face. But the place where his son had been standing just a moment ago was now empty. 'Ichigo?' he asked uncertainly. He heard the front door of the clinic bang loudly.

_A/N: Please review! (chapters will be longer in future, I hope...)_


	2. Bakery brake down

_**A/N:** This was hard to write... Like a giant jigsaw, not wanting to fit together. I don't particularly like inventing bad guys in details... There is quite a few worthless and annoying new characters here, but I promise they won't be around for long, and they are absolutely necessary to bring us to the point where Ichigo and Orihime are running away alone! Trust me, we're getting there, but it will take this and the next chapter. Until that, please bear with me..._

_**Warning:** a thug gets a little too close to Orihime, but don't worry, nothing too bad will happen. I only say this, because I don't want complaints because of the lack of warning before an attempted rape scene. So consider yourselves warned!_

_Chapter 2_

Bakery brake down

Orihime struggled with the strong wrapping of tape her wrists were tied together with. She could hear the muffled sobs of Minako-chan, her fellow worker in the bakery, another young girl. Their boss was lying on the ground, unconscious, a thin line of blood running down from his forehead, from the spot where he had been hit with a heavy gun's back side. Orihime tried to shift closer to him.

'Sato-san?' she called out quietly, but received no answer from him. Instead, their guard, a fat, ugly man, missing several teeth grunted at her.

'I sad, no talking! Want me to smash your pretty face, to make you understand? Bitch!'

Orihime bowed her head. She reminded herself for not the first time that evening, that she had already been in worse situation than the present, and still lived to tell the tale... So maybe everything would be allright now. Somehow... She noticed Minako looking at her with fearful eyes, and she tried to send her a reassuring glance. If only she didn't feel so scared and helpless herself...

Both her arms and legs were tied, and no matter how she tried, she couldn't arrange herself into a position that was half comfortable, at least for hours on end... As far as she could gather the story from half-comments and remarks of their captors, this group of criminals wanted to rob the nearby bank, but got ambushed while making the getaway, and ended up holding all of them hostage, in the hope that in exchange for their lives, the cops would let them run free. The man who seemed to be the ringleader (a middle aged, pail blue eyed man, with his long fair hair tied back into a pony tail) was on the phone right now, negotiating their demands.

'… I want two cars... something classy and fast, not trash! And a van... then make all police cars retreat from the street, and we'll release the prisoners, except for two. We will only release them once we reached the highway. But if we notice anyone following, we'll make them pay for it!'

There was a little pause, as the man listened.

'Yes. Only one injured, and we'll leave him here in the bakery... your medics can take care of him once we clear the place... maybe this will encourage you to make everything ready for us sooner!'

After the man put the phone down, he stood up, and called all his comrades close, for giving out instructions.

'Takeuchi! You're going with the van... take Harada and Ono... and choose two prisoners as well. Guard them, but don't hurt them, unless I say so, got that?'

The man named Takeuchi nodded with a grin. 'Yes, Imai-san!'

Orihime took a good look at Takeuchi's face. She shivered. The man looked simply mean. He was the one who seemed to be enjoying himself the most out of the lot... He was tall, lean and muscular, with lots of scars all over his body. His face reminded her of a rat. He came confidently before the group of tied up prisoners, who huddled closer together best they could. Orihime tried to keep her eyes firmly on the ground, but they snapped up involuntarily, when she heard another, even louder whimper escape Minako.

Unfortunately, Takeuchi caught her gaze for a moment, and he grinned madly.

'What have we here?' he whispered, licking his lips.

Orihime trembled. She didn't like the tone of his voice now...

The man approached her, and took out a knife from his belt.

'Can't leave a flower like you just rot here...' he crouched down, and cut the tapes binding her two ankles together, but left them on her wrists. 'Up you get!' he said, and lifted her to her feet forcefully. He grabbed the sleeve of her blouse, and started to lead her away. 'Bring that one too!' he instructed one of his men, either Harada or Ono, while carelessly pointing to a thin, bespectacled, scared looking man, one of the cooks in the bakery.

The yakuzza men pulled the poor cook and Orihime with them, when they exited the building a quarter of an hour later. Takeuchi kept a firm hold on her, as he marched her ahead of him, pointing his gun to the back of her head in a way that it would clearly be visible to all the cops, in the blinding light of all the reflectors.

Orihime felt like this was something surreal... not really happening to her... Some unknown protective mechanism inside her have activated, keeping her fear at bay, by making her feel like she was only a watcher inside her own body. Everything was happening kind of separated from her... like a bad dream.

She didn't even fight, when she was roughly thrown into the large black van's back. She just remained lying there, too weak to do anything. She knew somewhere in the back of her mind, that if things get serious, she has to be prepared to fight. She tried to recall the self-protective moves and rules Tatsuki had taught her, but her brain worked only slowly. What's more, she had her Rikka too, but that must be her last resort... she didn't want to use it against humans, but knew she would have no choice, if her, or her co-worker's life would be threatened... But right now, she allowed herself to remain in that numb state, in order to deal with the situation better...

Ono was driving, and Harada guarded them with his gun, as the vehicle started to move. Takeuchi kept in touch with the others on his mobile. Finally he put the phone down, wearing a content expression. He told Ono a few last instructions before climbing to the van's back, to them.

'Are we good?' Harada asked.

'Yeah! Told you everything's gonna be fine! Kouno-sama will arrange everything neatly. He never lets even one of his men down... and he has half of the cops in his pockets too... Imai said, he'll come and meet us in person!'

While he was talking, he settled himself next to the still tied up Orihime, and his eyes wandered on her form hungrily. Finally his hands reached out, dragging her closer, and starting to fiddle with the buttons on the front of her robes... Orihime gasped.

'What are you doing, Takeuchi?' Harada asked indignantly.

'… having some fun...'

'But... Imai said not to hurt her!'

An evil chuckle came from the man.

'There is no need for me to... if she complies quietly... Just close your eyes, if it bothers you! But I would keep them open if I were you... this one's a real something I tell you... and dressed up in this fucking sexy uniform!' Takeuchi licked his lips again. 'I just have to find out what's under it!'

Orihime's heart was beating furiously against her ribcage.

'No... please... I...' she tried to plead, not really aware of what she was saying. But Takeuchi's sure fingers already tore her vest off, and was now ripping the buttons off her blouse.

'You can keep the goddamn bow on... I don't mind that!' Takeuchi smirked, his hot breath reaching her skin. Orihime tried to fight him off of herself, but the man gripped her so tightly it hurt, and crashed his mouths on hers in a forceful kiss. He swallowed her desperate cries, as she tried to wiggle free. She choked for air, feeling the man's rotten breath steal all oxygen from her.

At that moment, the whole car shook violently, and everybody inside crashed into each other, and to the backside of the driver's seat... Ono was only prevented from falling out through the front window by his safety-belt. The van stopped. The front of it was distorted, bending like an accordion.

'What the fuck happened?' Harada asked fearfully.

'We have crashed into something... but... I don't see anything!' Ono answered weakly. There was a sound of breaking glass, and he suddenly bended over in pain. 'A...aaw...aaaa...'

'That's your problem, smartass...' said a quiet voice, that was strained from burning rage. 'Inoue... get out of the car... right now!'

The orange haired substitute soul reaper was standing before the van, in his black shikansho. His spiritual pressure flared violently. He had clearly stopped the car by flash-stepping in front of it. His hand was bleeding, but otherwise he looked quite unshaken by the collision...

Orihime lifted her fearful eyes. Her lips opened, forming his name: _'Kurosaki-kun!'_, but no words came out. Her mind registered what he had said, and she wanted to move, but her body wouldn't comply... She only continued to stare at him, through the smashed window.

Ichigo quickly went to the van's back, and teared the back door open. Inside, Takeuchi was sitting up. Ichigo jumped before him in a flash, and punched his jaw so hard, that red drops of his blood were flying everywhere. The man cried out in pain, and felt his broken jaw-bone.

'That's to make sure you won't be able to kiss anyone without pain in future...' Ichigo hissed. He turned to look at Orihime, who was still frozen in place, eyes wide, terror being the dominant expression in them. She tried in vain to keep the parts of her thorn uniform blouse together. Seeing her like this, Ichigo's eyes flashed, with pain. It took only one second for him to determine what to do, and he quickly took the girl in his arms. She didn't give even one sound of protest, but her body was stiff, rigid in his embrace. Ichigo flash-stepped out with her. They came to the side of the road, where he put her down, setting her on her unsteady feet.

'Are you all right?' he asked. Orihime didn't answer, and avoided his eyes. Ichigo's hands balled up into fists. _'What a stupid question to ask!'_ he thought. _'When I can see very well for myself that she isn't!'_ he collected himself, but his hands were shaking a little, as he held her tied up wrists, and worked to free them.

'Just tell me... how much more do I need to beat him...?' he asked, with a mixture of anger, bitterness and pain. Orihime still didn't answer, and this simply burned his heart. He should have been faster... should have protected her better. No one should have been able to touch her! He only saw the forced kiss – he had been following the van for a time then, having located Orihime's spiritual pressure, but was uncertain about what to do, when seeing the abuse finally made him act. But he couldn't be sure, that there wasn't anything before that... Orihime had been held captive for the better part of that afternoon, anything could have happened... He wanted her to look at him, see her big shining eyes, see relief or gratitude or anything at all in them, that would tell him, that he indeed did rescue her...

But her eyes only looked empty. Like she wasn't there at all...

The tape binding Orihime came off. 'I'll be right back...' Ichigo announced, and went back to the van.

The yakuzza members were still recovering from their shock. Ichigo lifted out the poor cook, who had been knocked unconscious by the crash. He put him down a little farther away from Orihime.

Harada and Ono were shouting to each other, totally confused. Takeuchi managed to find his gun, and was wildly swinging it in the air, before himself. The next moment they all cried out, as the van started to turn over underneath them. Ichigo had pulled up it's one side, until it crashed to the other. Then, he looked around, and saw a huge trash container near by. He pushed it before the van's door, barricading the criminals inside.

'You can just wait for the cops to pick you up here...' he told them, though knowing very well they couldn't hear him. 'Be grateful that my sword is not for the likes of you!'

'Then who is your sword for, may I ask...?' came a cold voice from behind.

Ichigo spun around, eyes widening. Three dark figures approached, in the eerie lighting of streetlamps, their shadows stretching far before them on the ground. Something about the way they moved made uneasy prickles at the back of Ichigo's neck. He had frequently had dealings with groups of thugs in the past, but he had a distinct feeling that these were somehow different. They looked like a party well accustomed to each other, with the middle one obviously being the leader, and the others his sidekicks, or bodyguards... The leader was a little ahead of the others, his tall frame, straight, proud, menacing. He wore a black leather coat, that looked classy. His hair was short black, but there was one long lock at his nape, sweeping down on his back. His eyes were dark and cold. Though not an old man, he bore a staff... a long one, that reached above his head. The way he held it made Ichigo narrow his eyes. Power was unmistakably radiating from this guy before him, and even though he couldn't really make out his spiritual pressure, he wasn't fooled: this man was seeing and hearing him in spirit from. He was no ordinary human...

'Who are you? And what do you want?' Ichigo asked, facing them.

'May I ask since when does Soul Society interfere with the dealings of the living?' the man asked. His voice was measured, level, but anger was unmistakably boiling under the surface, not promising anything good. 'I'm really curious... is it common practice now for soul reapers to occupy themselves helping the police, instead of fighting hollows, which is their job? You idiot boy! You have no idea what you've got yourself into! Which squad are you from?'

Ichigo's brows furrowed in repressed anger.

'I do what ever I want. I belong to no squad. I'm only a substitute soul reaper, not a full time one...'

The leader man looked at Ichigo more intently, a little curiosity shining in his hard eyes. His attention also reached Orihime, but luckily, he didn't pay the girl any particular interest.

Ichigo allowed himself a fleeting look too. Orihime still stood on the side of the road where he had left her, clutching herself with her two arms tightly, and judging from her unfocused eyes, not taking in a thing about what went on. Uneasiness grew inside him... He'd better deal with this situation fast, maybe she needed medical attention. Maybe she had hit her head, when the van crashed... or maybe she was simply in shock...

'A substitute soul reaper, you say?' the man asked. 'Well, I've never heard of such a thing before... Things clearly changed more than I was aware, since the few decades I've left... Makes no difference!' he looked sideways at one of his men. 'You know what to do, Imai...'

'Yes, Kouno-sama!' the fair haired man bowed.

Kouno raised his hand, putting it next to the Imai's chest. Ichigo gasped, seeing the familiar scull-pattern on his glove. The next moment, Imai's body fell to the ground like a stack of potatoes, and the man himself stepped forward in his spirit form, holding a sword.

The other, shorter, sturdy looking subordinate scowled.

'Ay! Imai gets all the fun again!'

Kouno raised an eyebrow. 'I was going to send you two, Soga!'

'Hell yes! This fucking gigai is so unbearably tight to wear all the time!'

Kouno rolled his eyes, and pressed the glove to Soga's chest too, who grinned evilly before charging at Ichigo.

Ichigo reached over his shoulder, his fingers closing around Zangetsu's hilt confidently, while years of practice made him unconsciously arrange himself in order to find better footing. He countered Soga's blade easily, throwing him back, to give room for him to equally welcome Imai. He had no trouble keeping up with their combined attacks. They fought like soul reapers, he even recognized some familiar moves in their fighting style. Their swords were clearly zanpakutos, but they weren't wearing the usual black and white uniform, but more colorful and stylish garments. Imai seemed to be the better swordsman, but Soga was sneaky, and tried to fire some unknown kido at him. Ichigo silenced him before he could finish the incantation.

While occupied with them, Ichigo tried to keep his attention on Kouno too. He followed his moves from the corner of his eyes suspiciously, even though the man seemed to be doing nothing, but watching the fight.

Finally Imai managed to deal him a blow, but – to the man's utter horror – the blade just slid of him, without leaving any injury. Confused, and scarred, the two man backed away from him a bit. Ichigo grinned grimly.

'What's the matter? Your sword got no edge?'

Imai hardened his expression.

'You're good... and strong. But don't get too confident. I'm only getting started!' He lifted his sword before himself in a weird angle, and cried. '_Take everything as yours! Magunetto_!'

His zanpakuto changed, it's blade transforming into some kind of shield, in the form of a medieval knight's armor. Ichigo had trouble guessing how he intended to use something like that for attacking. But when his sword connected with it, he found that Zangetsu had stuck to that shield, and he couldn't lift it away...

'What... the... hell...?' He pulled and pulled, but couldn't free his sword. When he tried to push on the shield with his hand in frustration, that too was caught, forced to remain connected to Imai's not so average zanpakuto. 'Shit!'

Now it was Imai's turn to smirk. Soga quickly came behind Ichigo, ready to take advantage of his tight situation.

'Getsuga Tenso!' Ichigo hissed, since he had no other option left, but trying to blast Imai off him. It worked too, but the price he had to pay was that his own attack had burned his hand too. His light blue energy beam exploded around Imai and his shield. The man flew back, his burned body crashing to the ground near the turned up van. Ichigo raised Zangetsu, ignoring his own pain, and clashed swords with Soga. But he suddenly felt a new, sharp pain coming from his shoulder...

He had been occupied with his two opponents, so he completely lost Kouno from view for a few seconds. He had suspected all along that something like this was on their minds... It was just predictable: even school bullies used this technique, with the lower members holding the victim down, so that their boss would get a clear shoot... But yet, he couldn't help it...

Kouno had flash-stepped behind him. Instead of his staff, he too was now holding a sword, and he had manged to thrust it's tip into Ichigo's flesh from his back, right above his shoulder-blade. Ichigo jerked back from the contact barring his teeth. It wasn't a great wound, so it surprised him, that the next moment his knees gave away, falling down. His whole body strained...

The wound burned. He cried out... Invisible flames licked his shoulder, going slowly down his whole back. Zangetsu fell out of his hands, landing with a chattering sound. Instinct made Ichigo clutch the wound with both hands, in a wain attempt to somehow dull the pain. He was no stranger to pain, but this burning was different from a simple wound: it was like concentrated suffering itself. His body shook, and he fell to the ground completely, tears of agony clouding his eyes. The burning slowly reached his arms, going down to his elbows, his wrists, his palms, and finally his fingers too.

Kouno looked down on the suffering teen, with a cruel, indifferent expression.

'This is the power of my zanpakuto, Hidoibou.' he informed him. 'Pain. Simply. Spreads like a venom... The victim is so overcome by it, that he's incapable of any resistance. Neat, ain't it? And handy... provides an easy victory, you see. I hardly need to stain my robes.' he nudged Ichigo a little with the tip of his shoes. 'What to do with you now? You are a decent fighter... we could find uses for you... if you would be inclined to swear loyalty to me!'

Ichigo turned his head upwards from the dusty ground with difficulty, and grunted something unintelligible. Kouno kicked him.

'Speak up boy! This is your final chance!'

Ichigo's fingers searched wildly for the hilt of Zangetsu. He finally found it, taking comfort from it's familiar feel. He tried to gather his spiritual pressure.

'I said, go to hell motherfucker!' he choked with difficulty, through bared teeth. He tried to lift his sword, but Kouno stepped on his wrist. He cried out in pain.

Soga chuckled. 'Got to admit... he's got some balls!'

Kouno remained indifferent, his cold eyes watching Ichigo suffer. 'If you really feel that way... so be it. Feel privileged, not many I find worthy enough to kill with my own hands... Feel honored that you have been murdered by the great Kouno himself!'

He put the edge of his sword over Ichigo's neck, lifting and lowering it again a bit, as if searching for the best angle...

There was a flash of light.

'Tsubaki!' Orihime shouted. Ichigo's desperate cry had finally awaken from her stupor... It was like after a computer-breakdown: her mind needed time to reboot... And she was just in time...

Kouno's eyes widened, and he stepped away not a moment too soon. The little fairy power spirit only managed to leave a gash on his cheek, instead of cutting his head right off. Kouno pressed a hand on the severely bleeding cut, his expression murderous.

'Awww! You! You little BITCH! How dare you! I thought you were a mere human!'

It was true: Orihime's spaced out, unseeing eyes from before had made it easy for Kouno to make that mistake. To presume she didn't even see them...

Orihime didn't answer. She just stood there, facing the raging man, while shivers of fear and anger shook her body continually. Kouno raised his sword menacingly, advancing on her.

'For this, you'll have to die!'

'Inoue!' Ichigo cried desperately, but he was unable to raise himself from the ground. By this time he was hardly even conscious from the ever heightening pain torturing him.

Orihime raised two shaking hands, palms facing out, willing her shaken spirit to find the strength of rejecting. But she didn't have to put up her shield. The next moment, there was a ruby red energy wall before her, protecting her. A green cloaked man flash-stepped to the scene, who wore wooden sandals and a striped hat.

Kouno lowered his sword instantly.

'Kisuke Urahara...' he greeted the newcomer in a bitter tone.

'Daiki Kouno.' the other greeted back. Then he turned to Orihime. 'Inoue-san. Hurry! Kurosaki-san needs you!'

Orihime shook herself, and wordlessly ran to Ichigo's side, already calling her fairies on the way. Kouno looked after her, a little dumfounded, before returning his attention to Karakura's infamous shopkeeper. Soga stood next to his master protectively.

'I would advise you to be gone... Urahara.' Kouno said. 'This is neutral area, and I might just regard your interference as a violation of our treaty... you have no business here tonight...'

Urahara simply smiled. 'I'll be the judge of that, if you will!'

Kouno's eyes hardened. 'Does this orange haired punk belong to your lot? I didn't know... I can see he is very able too... and what about the woman? She's got some interesting power I see... shame... but that changes nothing! They messed up my plans! The punk injured five of my men... he will pay for violating my circle... for being bold enough to challenge the great Kouno!... and the woman too!' he looked even more angry as he wiped the blood away from his cheek. 'I will murder her in person! You and I may have an agreement, but that does not include them... You can't protect them, Urahara... Not from me! I won't stop until I have killed them both!'

There was the sound of arriving police cars from the distance. Soga went, and scooped up Imai's unmoving body in his arms. They prepared to leave the scene.

'I will have my revenge!' Kouno screamed, turning to send a last hateful glance towards the pair of teens. 'I'll hunt them down, and if they try to hide, I'll find their families, burn down their homes, until they are dead!' and with that, they flash stepped away.

Urahara sighed, shaking his head. 'My bad... Quite the dramatic type, ain't he?'

He went next to Orihime, and lifted his cloak off his shoulders, to spread it over the girl's back.

'Thanks!' she muttered, sinking her eyes. She was kneeling before her golden dome surrounding Ichigo, putting her palms against it's glowing surface.

Ichigo's body now lay relaxed under the souten kisshun shield. His breathing was still a little ragged, and his eyes were closed.

'Inoue-san! Call back your powers.' Urahara ordered.

'But... no! I'm not finished healing him yet... this power is really like a venom. And it's spread all over...'

'You can continue right away, but now we have to move, before the police arrive! I trust you don't want to go in for questioning just now...'

Orihime frowned, but then she called back her powers.

Ichigo opened his eyes. The pain retreated, but the moment Orihime's shield vanished, it started to attack anew.

'Urahara-san...'

'Kurosaki-san... can you get up?'

'Sure. I'm good.' Ichigo sat up slowly, trying to concentrate on other things apart from the burning, but his hands were balled up so tightly, that his nails dug into his palms.

Urahara helped him to his feet.

'Come! Let's hurry!'

They started running. Urahara led them on. They went past two corners, until the found a smelly but conveniently concealing doorway, belonging to an abandoned building. Ichigo sank down on the stairs gladly. He was swimming in sweat all over, and slightly shaking.

'Souten Kisshun!' Orihime whispered instantly. She sat next to him, and freed her two hands from under Urahara's cloak, to be able to put her palms on the dome again.

Ichigo smiled up at her weakly, being really grateful to her. And also, he was grateful that she seemed to be well, at least well enough to use her powers. He studied her features again.

'Inoue...' he tried, but the girl didn't raise her eyes...

Urahara eyed the two of them thoughtfully.

'Ay, ay. This is bad... You really did managed to get on his bad side... of Kouno's of all people!'

Ichigo scowled behind the shield.

'Couldn't care less! He had it coming to him!'

'I agree, but you see, unfortunately, Kouno is a man, with whom it's more wise to keep up a peaceful status quo... that's the most I can boast about achieving with him.'

Ichigo's eyes bulged. If the man was bad enough to give Kisuke Urahara a headache, then he must be the Devil himself...

Ichigo was now starting to feel himself better. The pain was almost gone. It was becoming easier to breath with every second.

'Where did you leave your body?' Urahara suddenly asked.

Ichigo told him.

'Ok... I'll go collect it, while Inoue-san finishes.' the shopkeeper declared. 'Don't go anywhere!' he added in a lighter tone, almost singing.

When Urahara have disappeared, Ichigo turned to Orihime again. She was finally looking at him, but that did nothing to ease him: tears were running down on her cheeks silently.

'Inoue... Are you all right?'

'Yes...' she said with the first sob escaping.

Ichigo scowled. 'Damn those bastards!' He felt angry, worried, and he didn't know what to say or do. He wanted to comfort her. 'Don't cry... everything will be all right now...'

But all his words seemed to achieve was making the girl cry harder. Ichigo fidgeted under the dome restlessly.

'How much longer?' he asked.

'I'm almost done...' she said, trying to push away the tears with the back of her hand.

When the shield vanished, Orihime surprised Ichigo, and even herself slightly, by jumping into his arms... She just couldn't help herself. Everything that happened have crashed down on her with it's full weight. She cried, pushing her face into his chest, and gripping him tightly. He just embraced her back quietly.

'I... I am so sorry...' she sobbed after some time, trying to collect herself.

'It's all right...' he assured her, as gently as he could.

Orihime suddenly felt very weak and dizzy. Her hands fell away, and Ichigo had to hold her firmly, if he didn't want to let her collapse on the stairs. But it was hard work holding her up like that, so he took her into his arms, cradling her, like a baby.

'Sorry...' Orihime apologized again, weakly. 'I just feel so tired...'

'It's no wonder. Try to rest for a bit...'

She closed her eyes gladly, letting her whole body relax. Ichigo was not sure whether she had fallen asleep, or passed out...

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: All right... please be kind with me! You have no idea how hard I worked on this! Hope it's actually better than how my tired mind feels it after the thousandth reread... _


	3. Planning

_A/N: Thank you all for your reviews! And the favs and alerts too! It's really encouraging to know that so many of you are interested in this story, and eager to have more! I hope you are satisfied with the fastness of the updates so far, and the length of this new chapter. But I won't rumble more needlessly: on to the chapter!_

_Chapter 3_

Planning

Ichigo and Urahara were jumping from rooftop to rooftop, going much slower than their average speed. Both were burdened down, Ichigo carrying Orihime, and Urahara Ichigo's body... Ichigo paused briefly when the outline of the Urahara Shop came into view in the darkness, and looked down to the girl, sleeping safe in his arms. He took a moment to study her features. Her head was pressed to his chest, eyes closed, breathing even, but shallow. She looked a little troubled, even in her sleep, little lines of anxiety forming at her forehead, not letting her rest peacefully. Ichigo felt his arms tighten around her.

_'Just how do you keep ending up in these situations, Inoue?' _he thought.

He finally jumped down to the sidewalk, where the owner of the shop was already waiting for him, doing it as carefully as he could, so as not to shake Orihime needlessly. They walked to the front door of the shop.

Tessai opened the door in a few seconds.

'Inoue-dono? How is she?'

'Fine. At least considering the circumstances. This was quite an ordeal for her. But she's gonna be all right...' Urahara said.

'What happened?' the large man asked, still concerned.

'We'll explain once you let me inside!' Ichigo said a little irritated. True, Inoue wasn't at all that heavy for his arms, but he had carried her for long enough now, and he would much rather put her down before he started any explanation.

But when he entered, a few other people came into view... It was Tatsuki, who ran to him first.

'Orihime! Oh no! Orihime!' it was evident, that she had been crying, her eyes were blood red, every line on her face strained, her complexion pail.

'It's all right, Tatsuki... she's only sleeping.'

'Ichigo!' Chad greeted, his features easing up after hearing his assurance. 'I'm so glad you were able to get to her... I've seen the situation on the news, and ran there immediately. I've called Ishida and you on the way, but your father told me you were already on it... we wanted to help too, but the police-men wouldn't let us through! And then Urahara-san turned up, and he told us to come and wait here...'

'It's ok, Chad.'

Uryu was right behind Chad, his expression not so composed as usual.

'I guess ghosts don't ask for permission when going through police blockades, Sado... well, the main thing is that Inoue-san is safe now...' he said.

Ichigo avoided the Quincy's eyes, and a frown was pulling at the side of his mouth. Tatsuki noticed.

'She is safe, isn't she?'

'We will tell you everything, Arisawa-san, but please let Kurosaki-san through now!' Urahara said, while unceremoniously dropping Ichigo's body into a corner. 'This way, please!' he motioned for him.

Ichigo wanted to follow Urahara, but Tatsuki grabbed his arm, holding him back.

'Thank you, Ichigo...'

He blushed.

'… don't be stupid... she's my friend... of course I...' he muttered, embarrassed.

Urahara directed him inside a side room, where he found a fouton. He lowered Orihime down gently, placing his hand behind her neck, securing her head until it reached the pillow. But the girl's fingers were curled tightly in the front of his shikansho, and he couldn't free it. The more he tried to pull away, the more tightly she held on... His face flushed even more than before, because all their friends witnessed the scene from the doorway...

'It's all right... you're safe now. I won't go far...' Ichigo assured the sleeping girl, in a quiet murmur. Orihime sighed, and finally let go. She curled up, rolling to her other side. Tessai brought a blanket, and covered her.

OooOoOo

It took a good quarter of an hour for Ichigo to recount everything that happened. Urahara followed his every word with rapt attention. He told them how he followed and stopped the van (Tatsuki shaking her head in disbelief, and calling him an idiot after hearing about it), but he left out Takeuchi's abuse. They didn't need to know about that just yet, and only Urahara saw the state of Orihime's robes apart from him...

He told them all about Kouno's unexpected entrance. Urahara pressed him for every tiny detail concerning their conversation. He was in the middle of describing the fight, when there was a knock on the door, and Isshin appeared. Ichigo instantly quieted the explanation, for once genuinely glad to see his old man. And thankfully, he had brought his doctor's bag with him...

'I take it Yoruichi reached you with my message...' Urahara greeted him.

'Yeah...' Isshin replied. 'Arranged for the twins to spend the night at one of their friend's house... that's as safe as I could come up with...'

'Good.' Urahara replied.

Ichigo went and pulled his father away from the others for a few quiet words... It was hard for him, but he kept things matter of fact and as brief as he could. The friends watched Isshin's face darken with every word his son spoke. Finally Isshin squeezed his son's shoulder reassuringly, and just disappeared into Orihime's room wordlessly.

Tatsuki looked at Ichigo questioningly, but he directed his attention to Urahara who continued telling the story now, instead of him. At the end of it, all faces were sour, troubled.

'This man... Kouno. Tell us more about him!' Uryu demanded of Urahara. 'You seem to know each other... Is he human, or a soul reaper?'

Urahara looked down.

'He was a soul reaper. Until Central 46 decided that the power of his zanpakuto was, quote: "too crude and inhuman for use"... They wanted to just can him, like they did to countless of others, whom they deemed dangerous or unstable, even if they were not guilty. Soul Society's been pretty good with this... with sweeping the dust under the carpet.'

'Tsk! Why am I not surprised!' fumed Uryu.

'Kouno managed to escape, and take refuge in the World of the Living.' continued Urahara. 'Pretty much like myself... At first, I was even inclined to help him, feeling sympathetic. But then, he began to gather others around him, both from this world and the other, building the foundations of his yakuzza group. The soul reapers he works together with are totally devoted to him: he rescued and hid many that were in the same boat as him. And he has valuable connections in Soul Society itself: some of his men's relatives and friends are secretly working for him. In this world, it's the same... He always ties his men to himself in many ways... Through fear, through respect, through gratitude, through the need of power...'

'Sounds like a freaky character...' frowned Tatsuki. 'I don't like him targeting Orihime... I don't like it at all!'

Ichigo's hands balled up. There was a wild light shining in his eyes.

'Don't worry Tatsuki! I'm gonna find this bastard, and make sure he never gets anywhere close to Inoue again! This time, he won't be able to get to me, I promise! I'll hunt down his whole group if I have to! I won't rest until she's safe again!'

The others only looked at him, remaining silent, with something unfathomable in their eyes.

'What?' Ichigo finally asked, annoyed.

'You are as dumb as you can get, Kurosaki!' Uryu snapped. 'Weren't you listening to Urahara-san? Can't you see how serious this is? This group of criminals is not a bunch of senseless hollows you are accustomed to fight! You can't go up against them equally brainlessly, all alone!'

'Try me...' Ichigo said evilly.

Uryu's face turned red with anger. 'These kind of guys are not interested in fighting you, they most likely want to murder you in your dreams!'

'Ichigo... this is bad.' cut in Chad, more tranquil. 'You just can't use your soul reaper powers against humans! Only in extreme situations for self protection... but I don't think hunting down a whole yakuzza group counts as such... Kouno is an other matter. But since the Soul Society wasn't able to catch him for decades, I think he must be pretty skilled in hiding.'

'But he is targeting Inoue! I'll find him and give his butt handed to him in small painful pieces!'

Urahara came next to Ichigo, and hit his shoulder with his fan a little, to get his attention.

'Cool down, Kurosaki-san! Ishida-san and Sado-san are right. And besides: you have your family to think of too! Luckily, you told almost nothing of yourself to Kouno, except for being a substitute soul reaper, the nature of which he has no idea of. We can use his ignorance to our advantage... Though very slim, there is a small possibility, that we can keep your identity hidden. But only if you'll be a good boy, and stay put nicely... I'm sure you would prefer your father and sisters not mixed up in this!'

Ichigo did cool down after hearing this. He thought about his sisters, and began to feel a little desperate. He ran his hands through his orange locks in frustration, biting his lips.

'Yeah... of course I do...'

'Good... Kouno will be able to dig out everything concerning Inoue-san: they know she works at the bakery, and the dumb police will have her ID all over the papers by tomorrow anyway, but she has no one to fear for! And he'll most definitely find you too, if we don't do anything! But you know how amazing a mind I have: it's already full of ideas on how to mislead him about you...'

Ichigo sighed.

'Ok... do everything you have to. And what do you suggest I do? What about Inoue?'

'There is another option to protect Inoue-san.' the shopkeeper started, a little hesitantly. 'I could provide protection for you, I don't think Kouno would come all out at me, inside my own little fortress, but I think the other option would make more sense, and wouldn't make so many of us dance on edges... If my plan works, and we can keep your family safe, hidden from his eyes, then I suggest you take Inoue-san with you, and go away until things cool down a bit... into hiding...'

Ichigo opened his mouth to argue, but Urahara wouldn't let him.

'I know, I know! You don't like it... It's just not in your nature to hide from anything or anyone...' he said with the shadow of a grin. '… but if you really want to keep Inoue-san safe, and your sisters too, it's the best option. I promise I will do everything I can, use my own connections from Soul Society, to find a more permanent solution!'

'And we'll help!' Chad added.

Uryu nodded too.

'Can't say I particularly like the idea, but got to admit it makes sense...' said Isshin, appearing in the doorway. Ichigo raised his head to look into his father's eyes. Isshin answered the unspoken question at once.

'She's fine. I've spoken to her, and examined her. No concussion, no disorientation, no wounds or anything else...' he said with significance.

Ichigo breathed a huge relieved breath.

'She was lucky.' Isshin finished.

'Thank you so much Isshin-san!' Tatsuki-said. 'Can I go see her?'

'Of course. But it would be great for her to go back to sleep after that.'

Tatsuki nodded, and rose from her seat, heading for the side room.

'Dad...' Ichigo called. His voice was a little strained, and he kept his eyes firmly on the ground. 'I'm so sorry... you, Karin and Yuzu... I...'

'You did what you had to my son...' Isshin answered seriously. 'I'm glad she's all right.' Then the seriousness vanished from his countenance. 'And looks like you're gonna get a huge reward for playing the hero! Hell, if I could run away with a beautiful girl like Inoue-san...' he said with steamy eyes.

There was an angry grunt from Ichigo, and the table they were sitting around almost turned over, as Isshin got the face-punch he already deserved for his comment earlier that day...

The rest of the night was spent discussing the particulars. Tatsuki returned, smiling, and from the look of it, being content with Orihime's condition. Urahara busied himself before his computer, occasionally standing up, and running away, muttering incomprehensible things under his breath. Tessai told them confidentialy, that he had rarely seen his boss this strained and jumpy... Once Urahara unexpectedly appeared behind Ichigo's back, and grabbed a fistful of his hair...

'Ouch! What was that for?' Ichigo protested angrily.

'Thanks!' Urahara answered, already running away, and smiling down at the few orange hairs in his grip. 'I need these for the DNA! It's way easier creating a perfect gigai from this, than from scratch!'

Ichigo looked dumbstruck.

'DNA? Gigai? Does anybody understand what's going on?'

'No...' answered Tatsuki. 'But I guess we'll just have to trust old Hat and Cloaks... Let's get back to planning... any ideas where you could take her, Ichigo?'

Ichigo scratched his head at the violated spot, wearing a frown.

'Actually... I do have a place in mind... It's not related to me or to Inoue directly in any way, it's secluded, and I think it would be perfect.'

'Sounds great! But don't tell us! The less we know, the safest it is!' Isshin said.

Tatsuki folded her arms.

'Is it decent? I don't want her camping out in some half collapsing hut, or dirty cave!'

Ichigo rolled his eyes.

'Who do you think I am? Of course it's decent. And I'll have to tell YOU anyway, I'll need your help getting the keys...'

Tatsuki now looked curious.

'Ok, so we've got a place, but how will you get there without being seen?' Chad asked.

'Good question Sado...' Uryu approved. 'And not just the two of them: they'll need clothes and sustenance and things like that. Even if they'll take only the most important stuff, that will make quite a pack! And what about school? Everyone will believe Inoue-san's kidnapped by the yakuzza, but what will we tell them about Kurosaki? We have to think of a nice story, if we don't want to draw attention to the fact that he's disappeared!'

'One question at a time, Ishida, or we'll never get anywhere!' Ichigo scowled.

Urahara came to them again, smiling confidently.

'Well, everything's going on smoothly. I erased every data on substitute soul reapers I could find from Soul Society's database. There weren't many, really: it's always been a confidential topic... I also put in some fake information, as bait. I contacted Kuchiki-san, and she agreed to my plans, so she's gonna arrive here soon!'

'Rukia's coming? Why?' Ichigo asked.

'You'll see...'

By three in the morning, Ichigo was dead on his feet. The plan was finally complete, and everybody knew their separate roles in it. Urahara whisked Isshin, Tatsuki, Chad and Uryu out from the shop safely, without being seen, using his flying carpet of a thing.

Tessai gave Ichigo a fouton too. Though feeling very tired, Ichigo went to check on Orihime before turning in. At first, it looked like she was deeply asleep, but when he approached, he saw that her eyes were open.

'Kurosaki-kun?' she called out.

'You're awake?'

'Yes... I... I wanted to thank you...'

'It's all right... Everything is. You just go back to sleep.'

'But what will we do? That man... Kouno... he...'

Ichigo sighed. He wanted to put this conversation off till tomorrow, but he could see that the girl was awake and alert, her gentle eyes full of fear. So he sat down to the side of her bed.

'Don't worry. Remember: I've promised to protect you! We've got a plan... We discussed everything with Urahara and Dad. Tatsuki, Ishida and Chad are helping too. Rukia is also coming from Soul Society... They all say it's best if we go into hiding for a short time. Until we know more...'

'You and me? Hiding?' she asked, confused.

'Yes...' he answered slowly, not meeting her eyes.

oOoOoOoOo

If there had been any doubt left in them about the necessity of hiding it was all gone by the following morning, when Yoruichi arrived... Urahara and Tessai were drinking their morning coffees, and Ichigo just joined them, when the cat-woman stepped in, her clothes and skin dusty all over.

'I went by Orihime's apartment, as you wished, to get some clothes for her...' she said to Urahara, while brushing her face clean with a wet towel 'But the yakuzza were faster... I was only able to rescue a few personal things for her, from amidst the flames before the firemen arrived...' she indicated a plastic bag, full of clothes, on top of which sat the cherished portray of Orihime's deceased brother...

Urahara sighed heavily.

'It was to be expected... but I didn't think it would be this soon...'

Ichigo went and took Sora Inoue's picture in his hands. The frame was a little burned, but the glass had protected the picture itself from harm. He tried to brush at least the soot off it... His heart squeezed with pity, soon followed by a fierce upsurge of hatred towards Kouno. Somehow seeing that burned picture made everything more real to him, the full reality of the situation only now sinking in. Everything had happened so fast up till now... and he had only a few hours of occasionally troubled sleep...

'Damn... so horrible! Poor Inoue... her home! ...but still... I think she will be glad she can at least keep this...'

'That's what I thought too.' Yoruichi said. 'Where is she?'

'Still sleeping.' Urahara said.

Isshin returned not long afterwards, bringing Kon with him. The mod soul was annoyingly put on, but they did their best to ignore him.

'Here you go, Ichigo!' Isshin called, throwing him a box. 'The strongest I could get...' he added smirking.

'Oh, yeah...' Ichigo frowned, seeing what it was. 'Can't say I'm looking forward to this part...'

The others all laughed.

'Come on, it's not that bad!' Urahara teased. 'And you can put it off a little more anyway... let's welcome Kuchiki-san first. She's bound to arrive any minute!'

Kon's excitement heightened to an almost unbearable extent, when they went down to the basement, and stood before the open Senkaimon.

'Nee-saaaaan! I'm going to be living with nee-san! Oh my prayers have finally been answered!' Kon jumped, wanting to flung himself across Ruika's chest as soon as she stepped out. She just kicked him quite the usual way, making him fall to the floor.

'Hi, everyone... Do you think this stupid lion even grasps what he's agreeing to?' Rukia asked, looking down on Kon, with disapproval.

Ichigo's brow twitched.

'No! I don't think so...' he sighed big. 'I really don't know about this... Urahara... is this really necessary?'

'Absolutely. I want Kouno to believe you're from Soul Society. All the work I've put in so far is to ensure that... Once the thought enters his head that you could be human, and he starts looking for you in the human world, it will take no time at all for him to find your home! So we must evade that possibility at all costs! Rukia can take Kon to Soul Society, and he can show off a few times, wearing the gigai I created with your DNA, to give the right impression, that you're actually living there. He'll spend the remainder of the time being his lion self... we won't put him in more danger than necessary.'

Rukia looked at the still frowning Ichigo, her expression softening.

'Don't worry... I'll take good care of him...'

Hearing this, Kon raised his head from the ground, his eyes becoming as large as saucers, tears of joy forming in them. Rukia promptly stepped on him again...

oOoOoOoOo

It was nearly midday, when Orihime finally woke up, feeling a little numb and disoriented. She wandered around the main shop finding no-one, except for the kids, Jinta and Ururu. The black haired little girl smiled at her, and grabbed her hand confidently, pulling her inside her own room, to make her choose some fresh clothes for herself from her own closet. Then she showed her to the bathroom. Yoruichi and Rukia found her eating her breakfast-lunch with the kids a little later, wearing violet sweatpants, a light green T-shirt, bearing the sign "Urahara Shop", and a knitted sweater on top of it.

'Orihime!' the petite soul reaper smiled a huge smile at her.

Orihime smiled back, though less intensely.

'Rukia-chan! Yoruichi-san!'

'You look well, Orihime! I'm glad!' Yoruichi stated.

'Thank you! It's all thanks to Kurosaki-kun... and Urahara-san. I don't know what would have happened if...'

'Don't even strain yourself imagining it.' Yoruichi said sternly.

Orihime kept her gaze firmly on the table before her. Rukia and Yoruichi exchanged a troubled look. But it couldn't be helped: they needed to break the additional sad news to her on top of everything else... They sat down on either side of her, and began to tell her slowly about what happened to her home. She took it quite well, though they were not really sure if visibly almost no reaction was a good sign at this point... They continued telling her everything about the plans in action, filling her in with details.

At the end of it, she surprised them, with smiling.

'Well... that's good, then, I guess. Kurosaki-kun's family will be safe... That's all that matters. Objects can be replaced and walls built back, can't they? '

The older women smiled at her warmly.

'That's the spirit Orihime-chan!' Yoruichi approved.

'And how do you feel about the other side of the plan?' Rukia asked, her violet eyes boring searchingly into her brown ones. 'About going into hiding with Ichigo...'

Orihime averted her eyes after a second, a little shyly.

'I don't really know... I didn't have much time to think about it yet. It will almost be like... living together, won't it?'

'Yeah... And you know I've lived with Ichigo in the past, and I know for a fact that he can be a real jackass sometimes! But don't worry! I told him quite plainly, that if he gives you a hard time, he'll have me to answer to!'

Orihime began to shake her head, and wave her hands in front of her frantically.

'Oh, no! No, no! I'm not worried about that at all...' she said hurriedly. 'It's just that, I think it will most likely be... you know... awkward...'

'I expect you've got that right...' Yoruichi said quietly, snickering.

'But you know very well Rukia-chan, that I trust Kurosaki-kun completely. I trust him with my life...'

Rukia smiled.

'All right then...' Yoruichi said. 'Lets go down to the basement to see the boys...' When they rose from the table, she purposefully let Orihime walk ahead, to be able to whisper something in Rukia's ear.

'Let's all pray that trust won't be put to the test too much!'

When Orihime had climbed down the ladder, she surveyed the party assembled there. She saw Urahara, Isshin and Tessai immediately. They stood close together, talking. Then her eyes fell on Ichigo who noticed their arrival, and was heading their way...

Orihime froze. Her eyes went wide. She stared. Her lips formed a perfect round "O" at first, but then her jaw began to drop. Finally she closed her mouth, and after a dramatic intake of breath, it changed again, trembling at the corners...

Ichigo looked at her, and his brows furrowed in confusion mixed with a little irritation.

'Inoue?' he asked.

All the others turned to look at the two of them. Isshin chuckled.

'It's your hair, Idiot! She hasn't yet seen the improvement to it... what do you say, Inoue-san? We finally look like we're related, don't we?'

Orihime took a tentative step towards Ichigo, not lifting her gaze away from his head. She almost looked like she was afraid... or was about to cry... Ichigo sure hoped this wasn't the case though.

She lifted her left hand, while her right was clutching her shirt in front of her heart. Her trembling fingers came up to touch Ichigo's hair.

'Black?' she choked out, shock audible in every syllable.

Ichigo was dumbstruck, and he also felt a little uncomfortable. So he reflexively did the thing he always did to hide his discomfort: he scowled. To his relief, Orihime finally smiled a relieved kind of smile, after seeing that familiar reaction.

'Well... we are going into hiding. And there is no use denying, that my original color... stands out.'

Rukia giggled.

'"Shines out" would be putting it more appropriately...'

'Nobody asked your opinion, Midget! You're just jealous you don't stand a chance at "standing out"...'

Rukia aimed a kick at both of his kneecaps, earning a cry of pain, and making him fall to all fours.

'Baka!'

'Little bitch!'

Rukia now turned to Orihime.

'Don't worry... you'll get used to it fast. I did, even if it did shock me first...' she shuddered a little, remembering that for the tiniest of moments she had been convinced that Kaien Shiba had resurrected... She quickly put this idea out of her mind. 'And the orange will grow back. There is just no hair-dye that would be able to repress his rebellious spirit!'

Orihime turned to Ichigo. She looked sad, and there was even a little moisture shining in the corners of her eyes.

'I'm so very sorry... about all of this... it's all my fault...'

'Of course it's not! How could you even think that?' Ichigo cried angrily. 'How could it be your fault, that a psychopath's after us?'

Orihime only smiled sadly.

'Would you have died your hair black, if it was only you he was targeting?'

Ichigo opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out, the result being a not too intelligent grimace settling on his features. Rukia giggled.

Urahara called all of them together, and they made Kon try out the new Ichigo-gigai. It looked flawless, resembling him even more now than he himself... Orihime still continued to throw uncertain glances at the disturbing phenomena that was the black haired Ichigo. She guessed it was a little selfish of her to regard the change of Ichigo's hair as her personal loss... but she had lost so much so fast. And now even this... She longed for a quiet place to just be alone and cry, but knew at the same time, that it probably wouldn't do her any good. So she strengthened herself, and tried to smile just like she would normally do at Rukia and Ichigo's constant bickering over nothing.

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: Hope I covered every corner... Please tell me how it works out! _


	4. Into hiding

_A/N: Corrected my spelling errors in previous chapters along with giving you this new one. (Thank you again "nypsy"! Love you!)_

_Chapter 4_

Into hiding

Rukia and Kon went through the Senkaimon early in the afternoon. And it didn't take even two hours after it, till Urahara was able to inform them, with a highly content grin, that two man of Kouno's followed them to Soul Society. That was the sign they were waiting for before proceeding with their plans.

Throughout the rest of the day, Orihime sat apart from the others, not really participating in making the arrangements. Everybody seemed to be busy... Her only concern was not to be in the way. Ichigo was the one who discussed every last minute detail with Urahara. The shopkeeper took his mobile away, and replaced it with an other, and he was occupied with filling it's address-book with the most important numbers.

'No calls, only in emergencies...' Urahara said seriously. 'But I do expect a check-in text message at the end of every week! That way we'll know everything's fine... I'll forward that to your father as well. If we have figured out something, or if it's safe for you to return, I'll call you myself! Clear?'

'Yeah.' Ichigo said, still typing vigorously, and pulling back his newly blackened bangs from his eyes again and again, looking irritated.

They waited for nightfall before Urahara brought the flying carpet forth again. They said goodby to the kids, and Urahara, Tessai, Orihime and Ichigo boarded the strange traveling device. They only had a small bag with them, with the few items Yoruichi had rescued for Orihime.

Orihime enjoyed the ride. It was a bright night, with the stars shining clear above, and the lights of the city a colorful blur below them. But it did give a kind of melancholic feeling to the moment, that she knew she probably wouldn't see dear Karakura again any time soon... Ichigo insisted she take his jacket, so she wasn't cold... though she started to feel a little bad about borrowing others peoples clothes all the time... And Ichigo's spiritual pressure (not to mention his smell) was all over that jacket, which made her face to be a few shades darker than usual.

Before she could tire of the view of buildings, and of cars with their headlamps on, going about their business running by under them, the journey was over. They stopped, arriving to an abandoned parking of a closed supermarket. Only one car was parking there, and Isshin was leaning to it's side accompanied by Tatsuki, Uryu and Chad.

Urahara waved to the group merrily, and lowered the carpet to a heights from where jumping down would be easy.

'Tessai?' he asked his assistant.

'There was no sign of pursuit throughout the journey, boss!'

'Good... Well... Kurosaki-san, Inoue-san... this is where we part. I wish you both good luck...' Urahara said, turning to the teens.

'Bye, Urahara-san, Tessai-san... and thanks for all your help!' greeted Orihime.

'Any time... it was really nothing!' sang Urahara.

'Yes. Thank you!' Ichigo said too. 'I'm really grateful for all the work you did to protect my family...'

'Hey, that's what old friends are for! You just worry about yourselves, and leave the rest to us!'

Ichigo nodded.

'Take care, Inoue-dono! Kurosaki-san!' added Tessai.

Orihime and Ichigo lowered themselves to the side of the carpet, and jumped. They started walking closer to the waiting group.

'No problems, I trust?' Isshin asked, when they arrived within earshot.

'Nothing.' Ichigo answered.

'Nice new style, Ichigo!' Tatsuki commented, snickering. 'You could almost pass for a decent person now!'

'Ha-ha... very funny...' Ichigo scowled.

They took their places between their friends, the party forming a semi-circle.

'We've packed everything we could think of for you...' Isshin declared, pointing to the car. 'There is enough food for a fortnight, and cash in the green backpack's pocket.'

'Thanks Dad!'

'About the clothes...' started Uryu. 'We tried to put a decent wardrobe together for Inoue-san, but I think she will still miss some things.'

Tatsuki looked at her best friend.

'Some of the clothes are from my own stock, I guess you'll recognize them!'

'Thanks, Tatsuki-chan!'

'And Ishida-san and Sado-san did some shopping... They brought real warm clothes too, for hard weather.' said Tatsuki, smiling up at the two boys.

'Thank you guys!' Orihime said, turning to them. 'I feel so bad... you really didn't have to... I mean I'll pay you back for it sometimes...' she said, though a little shocked imagining the two boys wandering around the women section of a shop, not to mention buying stuff...

'Isshin-san and Urahara-san provided the money, we only did the shopping.' Uryu explained.

'And I packed all your school books, Ichigo, along with a few other stuff, so that you'll have something to do, and won't bore yourselves to death.' Isshin said, hurriedly, before Orihime could start thanking again.

'We'll spread the rumors that you were diagnosed with a rare disease, Ichigo, and went to a special hospital in Tokyo.' Chad informed them. 'If you keep up with your studies, than maybe you can graduate with the rest of us, when you come back... I do hope it won't take that long for us to figure out something about Kouno... We'll all miss you!'

'Yeah...' said Tatsuki, flinging herself at Orihime and embracing her fiercely.

Ichigo turned to his father.

'Dad... will you tell Karin and Yuzu, that I'll miss them, and... er... that I said hi? I wish I could have said goodby to them in person...'

'Of course.' replied Isshin. 'Now are you really up to driving this baby?' he asked, patting his precious car's shining front.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. He may not have a license in hand yet, but he had started the lessons, and was now pretty confident behind the steering-wheel.

'No problem!'

Tatsuki withdrew from Orihime's embrace, and exerted an envelope from her pocket.

'Ichigo... here are the keys. He said he's glad to be able to help. There are also some notes, I think they'll come in handy...'

Ichigo took the envelope from her.

'Tell him I'll thank him in person when I get back...'

Tatsuki nodded.

'Who's him?' Orihime asked, looking at the envelope curiously.

Tatsuki froze. Uryu's eyes bulged. They both turned to Ichigo, angry expressions forming on their faces identically...

'Kurosaki!' the Quincy hissed angrily. 'Don't tell me you didn't tell a thing to Inoue-san about where you're going to take her!'

Ichigo just stared dumbly. He racked his brain, but he indeed didn't remember any such conversation...

'Well...'

'You Idiot!' cried Tatsuki, hitting his head.

'Ouch!'

'Tatsuki-chan...!' Orihime tried, but her friend cut across her.

'Just what kind of dense bastard are you, Ichigo? Don't tell me you've never even thought about hearing her opinion? Are you a tyrant or what? You just expect her to follow you blind eyed? Just who do you think you are?'

Orihime again tried to interfere, but Tatsuki gave her a stare that clearly said: _'You stay out of this!' _

'You truly are a brute, Kurosaki!' Uryu fumed. 'Take into consideration how much Inoue-san's been through lately! Can't you be a little bit more feeling, at least now? She must be scared and upset! Her whole life is uprooted, and yet you deny her even the small comfort you could offer!'

Ichigo's face was red all over from anger, and maybe from a little embarrassment.

'Hey! Cut this out, ok? I admit, I messed, up! But it's not like I didn't want to tell her! I only forgot! There was so much going on! So much to arrange and to think of! Time was pressing... and... it just slipped from my mind!'

Tatsuki looked murderous.

'Slipped? To share your plans with the one they will concern most? This starts nicely! I'm starting to have afterthoughts about this whole arrangement now!'

'Look, this hide-and-seek game hasn't been my idea!' Ichigo cried. 'And I certainly don't like it! But I thought I was doing the right thing... She is my friend, and I want to do everything it takes to keep her safe! I only want to protect her, damn it!'

'And just as you never thought about asking for her permission when stepping before a coming blade or something, you didn't ask her now...' Isshin said, amused.

Ichigo closed his mouth, scowl heavily in place, but his eyes showed that his fathers words shocked him out of his anger a little.

'Let me tell you: this kind of protecting will be different...' Isshin said.

'Yes!' Uryu seconded instantly. 'My point exactly! This is the kind of behavior that will make life difficult for you both, when you are alone!'

'Like you have any experience in that field... annoying Quincy...' Ichigo muttered under his breath. He looked sideways tentatively, searching for Orihime's eyes. She met his gaze, and they looked at each other, both flushed.

'A... Um... Inoue. I'm sorry... they are right... I kind of left you out, didn't I?'

She smiled a small, but warm smile. Ichigo's heart gave a painfully strong beat, seeing it.

'It's all right, Kurosaki-kun... it was my fault... I was kind of out of it... and I never asked, did I? And I'm sorry I haven't been more use, and you and Urahara-san had to think of everything, even for me... Thank you!'

The pair smiled at each other.

Tatsuki rolled her eyes.

'You just watch out, Hime! You can't go this soft on him at the very beginning, or he'll grow on you in no time! Please, promise me, you'll be more tough in future!'

'Kurosaki...' Uryu called him again. 'I must ask: do you have any idea what you've signed up for?'

Ichigo raised an eyebrow questioningly. 'Meaning?'

'Meaning that you'd better behave yourself!' Uryu continued, with his cheeks red from anger. 'Because we all know how arrogant, reckless, moody, overbearing and insensitive you can be!'

'Not to mention dense!' Tatsuki added.

'And scratchy!' Isshin grinned.

'You'd better not hurt her... any way, you understand?' Uryu finally spat, not able to contain himself longer.

Chad opened his mouth to say something, probably to defend Ichigo. But the soul reaper raised a hand, silencing his best buddy. He turned his back to them, walking a few steps ahead. He stood there, with his eyes cast down, and his hands rolling up into fists, unmoving... They could feel something change in him. The power of it made all of them silent and waiting. He suddenly turned back, and looked up. His eyes had a fierce light in them. A light they all knew well...

'Uryu Ishida!' Ichigo said, and his voice was strong and firm. 'I can't swear by my Quincy pride, since I'm not one... but I believe I never gave you any reason to doubt any promise I make. So, I promise to you now, that I will protect Inoue, no matter what... I will take good care of her, I will protect her from every coming danger, be it human, soul reaper or hollow... and I'll try my best to protect her from myself too!'

Ichigo stood before them, the light in his eyes slowly dimming to bearable intensity. Nobody spoke. Even Isshin refrained from throwing in a cheeky comment... (He so wanted to add: _"For better for worse..."_.)

Tatsuki looked considerably more happy.

'Well, that's good enough for me!' she said, grinning.

Ichigo suddenly turned to Uryu.

'Thank you Ishida...' His voice was quiet now, but full of emotions. One of the most easily deciphered of them was gratitude.

The Quincy was shocked. He felt Ichigo's hand on his shoulder. And Uryu understood in that instant, that Ichigo was grateful, because he HAD doubts about this arrangement... he wasn't as arrogant and full of himself in the inside as he chose to present himself.

He needed to make this wow. He needed to make it to himself. But he had to say the words out loud for it to be binding. That's why he was grateful to him: for giving him that opportunity... for understanding... And Uryu could see little lines on his face ease up, ones he hasn't even noticed were there before. The power of the wow now gave him confidence, strength, and a peace of mind. Seeing the steady light shining from his eyes, Uryu knew he needn't worry any more... Inoue was in safe hands.

'Idiot... it's not like we don't trust you with her... I just wanted to know whether YOU trust yourself with her...'

oOoOoOo

For the first two minutes after the car rolled out with them from the parking lot, and after Orihime finished waving, having lost her friends completely from sight, the pair remained in a strained silence. The parting, and especially that last conversation was weighting heavily on their minds. Orihime fidgeted in her chair, under the pretense of arranging her seat-belt more comfortably over her busty chest... She chanced a peek in Ichigo's direction, but seeking him gripping the steering wheel, with his mouth pressed together in a thin line made her think it was safer to look out her window instead. She had many things to say to him, but couldn't form any of them into a sentence that wouldn't embarrass both of them even more... She decided to wait for him to speak first. Only when they reached the highway, did he finally sigh.

'I still haven't told you where we're going...' he said, keeping his eyes on the road.

Orihime smiled.

'Oh, please don't tell me now!' she begged. 'It will be like a surprise! I like surprises! I always did!'

Ichigo chuckled weakly.

'Really!' she ascertained again. 'I never open the X-mas gifts before their time, never even peek in them, even though I'm curious, because I enjoy them more wrapped up, and being all mysterious! I like to open the wrappings only slowly, and try guessing what's inside! It's so much fun!'

Ichigo looked at her briefly, and smiled seeing her dreamy expression.

'Well, then I guess I'll only tell you that you'll probably like the place. At least I hope.'

'Oh, I'm sure I will!'

She went back to watching the view through the window, like before. But the atmosphere between them have thankfully lightened...

'Did you know that it's been years since I was last out of Karakura town at all?' she asked after some time, still looking outside. 'Not since my brother's died...'

Ichigo remained silent, but that was ok, she didn't really expect any answer to this.

'Do you... mmm... How long do you think it will take before we can return? Because mentioning X-mas earlier made me wonder... do you think it's possible we'll be back by then? I mean, it's only early November... it seems so far off...'

She could see Ichigo frown.

'I really don't know, Inoue. I don't know... Sometimes I feel that Urahara is able to solve everything... But he seemed to be anxious about this case... more anxious than I would like...'

'Yes... it felt like that to me too...' Orihime said thoughtfully, and a little sadly.

'Hey! Let's not worry about it now...' Ichigo said, in a forced light tone. 'It's just no use straining ourselves over something we can't control...'

After that, they mostly talked about things they saw on the journey. Ichigo ranted for at least ten minutes about how silly the new poster of the Don Kanonji show was, while Inoue tried to weakly defend the famous spiritualist. But they ran out of topics fast, being mostly silent. Orihime sank lower in her seat. Ichigo's jacket was still around her, and she really felt warm and cozy... She rested her head on the seat's back, her eyes dropping low...

OooOoOo

'Inoue?'

Orihime reluctantly opened her beady eyes, blinking a few times. The steady humming of the car's engine told her they were still moving. It was also still dark outside.

'Hmmm? Are we there yet?' she asked Ichigo, stifling a yawn.

'No...'

'Then what is it?' she asked, sitting up, more alert now. She looked out the dark window. She couldn't see much. Only the road, stretching endlessly ahead of them, with plains and small hills on it's side.

'Can you please just talk to me?'

'Huh?'

Ichigo kept his eyes on the road as he answered. His voice seemed a little strained.

'I feel like I can't keep my eyes open... And it would be pretty indeed, if after all this trouble I would end up killing ourselves in a car-crash...'

Orihime mentally smacked herself. She felt ashamed.

'Right. Don't worry! I'll keep you awake! It was so unthoughtful of me to fall asleep, and leave you all alone... I'm sorry!'

Ichigo smiled.

'It's all right. Glad you had a little rest.'

'How far are we going yet?'

'Not sure... I've only been there once before, and I wasn't the one driving then... But I guess it will take an other hour until we arrive...'

'Don't you want to stop a little?'

'I'd rather complete the journey while it's still dark, Inoue.'

'Ok... then I guess I'll have to come up with something good...'

Orihime started to think. Keeping Kurosaki-kun awake behind the steering-wheel was a serious job after all, and she was determined to do her best! She unconsciously wet her lips and scratched her head. She was the kind of girl who could do nothing half hearted, and excitement rushed through her, as she concentrated on her task. Finally she brightened up.

'I know! ... I'll tell you a story! The story of the Three Musketeers!'

'I'm familiar with the story of the "Three Musketeers"...' Ichigo pulled a face.

'Not with my version, you're not!' she laughed.

In less then ten minutes, the inside of the car was full of laughter, and all sleepiness was forgotten.

'Wait! What? D'Artagan fired a laser beam? How?'

'From the tip of his sword, of course!'

'Doesn't that sound familiar?' Ichigo laughed.

'Mu! If you keep interrupting with questions, I'll never get to the story's end!'

'Sorry!'

'Then Aramis shouted at the evil Cardinal's men: "By my Musketeer pride, I'll never let you conquer!" He lifted his arrow, and they fought the many foes fighting back to back with D'Artagnan.'

Orihime's story went on to unfold the plot of the evil Cardinal, who stole the queen's magic earrings, and used them to create gruesome monsters, the 10 Guards. But the Musketeers wowed to bring the earrings back, so they entered the Cardinal's palace. It turned out, that Athos had outstanding body-strength, and that he had long ago swore to D'Artanan's father to protect his son. And Ichigo was laughing himself silly when Orihime mentioned that Porthos had an extending sword, and flaming red hair... The story reached it's climax, and Orihime was in the middle of describing the battles (Ichigo occasionally suggesting an improvement here and there).

'D'Artagnan was just recovering from his fight with the green eyed Guard, when the queen's maid ran to him, breathless: "You've got to come, quick! The Cardinal went to the King! He wants to use the earrings on him, to make a monster out of him too! You've got to stop him, Kuro... I mean D'Artagnan...' she corrected her slip of tongue, blushing heavily.

Ichigo said nothing, only grinned. Orihime started to describe the last epic fight in detail, between D'Artagan and the Cardinal, but she noticed, that Ichigo's attention became divided, as he studied the road more intently than before. They had been going uphill for some time now, on an continuously twisting and turning road. Thick forest surrounded them on both sides, and there was not a dot of light anywhere in sight. Outside the light given by their headlamps, everything was dark.

'Kurosaki-kun?' she asked tentatively, wanting to know if there was any problem.

'I think we must be pretty close to the turning...'

'Shall I continue the story later? You don't want to miss the ending...'

'Let me guess! D'Artagnan defeated the Cardinal, by sacrificing all his powers!'

She made a cute frown.

'How did you know, Kurosaki-kun?'

Ichigo grinned again.

'Lucky guess?'

They both laughed.

'It's not fair! You've ruined all the drama of the final moment!' she pouted. 'I wanted to build it up nicely, and show all the grandness of the sacrifice he made for his friends... and how grateful they've been for it...' she added the last part quietly, and seriously.

She couldn't make out his exact expression in the dark, but she could tell he was touched. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

'It's what anyone would have done in his place...'

They fell into silence after this, a silence that was filled with memories...

'Did you like the story...' she asked shyly after a time.

'Yeah! Maybe you can make up a sequel or something... it seems we'll have a lot of free time on our hands in the near future...'

Orihime giggled, and shook her head.

'A-a! Next time I will do "Star Wars"! Just wait till you hear about Luke Skywalker's constant struggles with his own "dark side!"'

Ichigo looked a little shocked. He frowned.

'Uh... ok... I'm really curious how that will go...'

Orihime smiled happily.

'Inoue!' Ichigo suddenly addressed her, in a more serious voice. 'Please keep looking for a little side road on the right... I don't want to miss it in the dark.'

Orihime looked out her window, intently and after a few minutes, she spotted it. Ichigo turned the car. This little forest road was rocky, and full of pits: they were jolted roughly, even though the car proceeded only slowly.

Orihime's curiosity reawakened about what place they would arrive to. She needn't wait long. After a few more minutes of bumping, Ichigo stepped on the brakes, and sighed heavily.

'Well... we're here.' he said needlessly.

Orihime shifted her head from left to right a few times, but she could see nothing ahead of them, only darkness. She was a little confused, but followed Ichigo, when he opened his door, and stepped out of the car, stretching himself.

When she was out too, she had a clearer view. Narrowing her eyes, she spotted a little house, made out of block-wood, sitting under a cliff's side. A cute little pouch faced them at the house's front. There was a little lawn before it, but no fence, or gate. Not far of from the house, to the left, Orihime could see the moonlight reflecting from smooth water: there must be a lake or something there.

She gasped.

'Wow... I thought such place only exists in dreams! So beautiful...' she sighed.

'Glad you think so.' Ichigo said nonchalantly.

'Can't wait to see it in daylight!' Orihime exclaimed.

Ichigo exerted the key from the back pocket of his jeans.

'Wanna take a look inside?' he asked.

She nodded eagerly. He lead the way, walking to the door, but after he opened it for her, he let her go in first, stepping aside.

Orihime entered. She couldn't see much at first, because of the darkness, only the outlines of the furniture. She could feel the smell of wood in the air though, which was nice to her senses, and made her even more expectant. Ichigo disappeared for a few seconds, she heard him moving around in the dark. Suddenly she heard a clicking sound, and she had to conceal her eyes from the shockingly bright light invading her eyes.

'Found the main switch!' Ichigo announced proudly, coming back to view again.

As soon as Orihime's eyes adjusted, she used them to study the house that would be their home for the following weeks. They were standing in the middle of a nicely sized living room. It was spacy, with the roof being high, and the rails showing. There was an upper story as well, but it occupied only half of the house, being above the other rooms. Stairs lead up to it on the wall facing them. In the living room, the furniture was a balanced combination of modern, stylish, and more natural, even rustic things: a black leather covered couch, and two matching armchairs surrounded a simple, low, wooden coffee table. A fluffy moth-green carpet covered most of the ground, while above, there was a hand-wrought chandelier. Orihime's attention was immediately caught by the huge fireplace, the kind you always see Santa Claus emerge from in cartoons... On the walls, there were a few shelves, with books, a stereo and even a TV. A few pictures made the impression more pleasing, one of them – Orihime recognized – was a reprint of Chagall. On their left, an archway opened, built out of the same kind of bricks as the fireplace, and it lead to the kitchen. She looked in there too, and saw smooth black marble and metalic surfaces. She wandered vaguely whether she'll have the courage to actually cook in it: she usually did a big mess... Behind the kitchen, an other door opened, leading no doubt to a bathroom. Everything looked clean, neat and in order, almost as if waiting only for them... Orihime just wandered around, ogling at everything, open mouthed. It was just perfect... She couldn't even imagine where Kurosaki-kun could come up with such a place...

Seeing her marveling face, Ichigo only smiled, and offered only one word of explanation.

'Mizuiro.'

Her face lit up with understanding.

'Oh... I see... I knew his family must be...'

'… wealthy.' he finished for her simply. 'The house is his mother's but she only ever comes here in the summer, so nobody misses it now... last year Mizuiro brought us boys here for the spring holiday... Just take a look around! I'll bring in the luggage!'

'No! I'll help!' she announced quickly.

They went back to the car, and started transporting everything inside. They put all the sacks, backpacks and baskets down, next to the entrance. When they were done with that, Ichigo closed the house's door behind them.

As the sound of the door shutting them inside slowly died away, they were left standing there, facing each other with an awkwardness that wasn't there just a moment ago. Suddenly neither of them knew what should be done next. The journey was over... up till now their only concern had been to get as far as this safely. They had been aware vaguely that this moment would come, when there would be nothing else left, but to face the reality of their situation, but it still found them unprepared... Suddenly they both became oddly sensitive to the others physical presence, in the otherwise silent house...

Ichigo bit his lip, and started scratching his neck. Orihime clasped her hands together behind her back, and was slightly rocking to and forth on her feet, her gaze wandering in the room, looking everywhere, but at Ichigo.

'Well... I... I think you should see the bedroom upstairs...' Ichigo finally said, his voice hesitant. 'There is only one bedroom, but it's no problem, I'm fine sleeping on the couch! The only problem is, that since this house is mainly used in the summer, there's no heating in there... if it get's too cold, maybe we both have to just camp out here, in the living room, close to the fireplace. That's what we did last year anyway... There are some mattresses too...'

'I'm not afraid of a little cold...'

'That's good.'

They fell into silence again, with more nervous fidgeting on both sides.

'I think we should see what food they have packed for us...' Orihime finally suggested. 'Maybe something needs to be put in the fridge...'

'Good idea! I'll see right away if I can get the machine going!' Ichigo said, looking relieved that there was still something matter of fact left to do.

Ichigo helped bringing in the food, but Orihime arranged everything. She opened the cupboards, peering in them, looking for usable spare surfaces. She also surveyed the house's supply of kitchen equipments. She just naturally took charge in the kitchen, which Ichigo was only too happy to allow. She became more and more happy as she saw the various items, emerging from their sacks, all being a testament of their friends caring. They really seemed to have provided them with everything. When Orihime saw a few doughnuts on top of the basket otherwise containing fruits and vegetables she couldn't help moaning out in pleasure. Ichigo immediately looked over her shoulder, to see what it was that earned this kind of reaction from her. He grinned.

'I think we more then deserve those now!'

They just couldn't help themselves, and immediately consumed four of the doughnuts with gusto.

Orihime saw a kettle, and she offered to make a tee, suggesting he sat down a little. She could see bags forming under Ichigo's eyes, and wandered if he had slept at all the previous night. And it was past midnight now, and he had done all the driving... She could tell how tired he was from the single fact that he didn't argue with her suggestion at all, just sat down on the couch. She put water in the kettle, putting it on the heater. She searched through a bag containing basic food-stuffs, and found a box of tee. She frowned. She recognized it as Ishida-san's favorite blend, but to tell the truth, she was not that found of herbs. She liked fruity flavors or stronger blends more. She also found a pack of sugar. When looking for an eligible container box to put it in, she came across the house's own stock of tee... She gasped seeing it. She reached out immediately, taking hold of it. She had always wanted a cute little tee-box like the one in her hands now! She opened the lid, almost ceremoniously. The inside of the box was separated into twelve little parts, by thin wooden panels, and each little pocket contained a different flavor. Orihime took a huge whiff from the delightfully rich smells coming from inside... Then she sighed. She closed the tee-box again firmly, putting it back to the shelf, and starting to open their own box. Kojima-kun trusted them with the house, but that didn't mean they could just use everything like it was theirs... It would have been rude of them. They must do their bests to take good care of the house, and its facilities!

She did a little more packing while the water heated. She found some nice sized mugs, and when the tee was ready, she filled two to the brim.

'Kurosaki-kun? Tee is ready!' she announced.

There was no answer. She poked her head out of the kitchen. She saw Ichigo leaning down on the couch, his head dropped back, and one of his arms dangling down... She neared him tentatively, and saw his closed eyes, and his steadily rising and falling chest. His mouth was slightly parted, and all muscles in his face relaxed... Orihime smiled warmly. She found a blanket folded in one of the armchairs, and thew it over him, gently tucking in the corners.

'Good night... Kurosaki-kun!'

oOoOoOoOo

_**A/N:** (drumroll) Yes! Finally there! They are alone! Just as I want them! And I know you all do... hehehe... _

_Did you like the chapter? Quite a few things happened. Ichigo made a wow again... as I'm sure you're able to guess, it will be the source of many troubles, just like his previous ones._

_I thought the idea of Orihime making up a Bleach-Three Musketeers crossover was pretty hilarious!_

_**A****bout the description of the house:** I must say that writing this kind of thing is real hard for me, even in my own language! You won't believe it, but I even made scratches of the images in my mind, to help me, and because I don't want to confuse things later. Sorry if I didn't always use the right words for things! And I realize that there are probably no houses like this in Japan, but I don't really care: it's my story... _

_**About the time****-****line:** actually, I wanted this to take place somewhere closer to their graduation, like March or April, but I was thinking about Christmas coming up, and I just couldn't resist giving myself the chance of writing a nice festive chapter. That's why it's November. _

_If you have a scene in mind, fitting in this setup, that you feel you can't go on without reading about, just tell me! If it really fits, I'll try my best to include it...(Don't worry, it's not like I don't have ideas, but since the nature of the story permits it, I want to leave the option open for you, to make requests!)_

_And please don't forget to **review**!_


	5. The different kind of protecting

_Chapter 5_

Learning about the different kind of protecting

_'For this, you'll have to die!' _

_'Can't leave a flower like you just rot here...'_

_'I will murder her in person!... I won't stop until I have killed them both!'_

_'… having some fun...__this one's a real something I tell you...__'_

_'I'll hunt them down, and if they try to hide, I'll find their families, burn down their homes, until they are dead!' _

_'What's wrong? Such a heartbroken expression... Smile! Everyone is saddened when the Sun darkens...'_

oOoOoOoOo

Ichigo awoke next morning, founding himself under not only one, but three blankets, and he still wasn't too warm...

'Damn... we'd better make a fire for next night...' he growled, sitting up. 'Inoue?' he called a little more loudly.

He received no answer. He looked around, trying to blink the sleepiness away from his eyes. His gaze fell on one of the armchairs, and he saw a nest of blankets there. He raised, and went there, examining it... but it was empty. He briefly touched one of the twisted materials, and immediately felt Orihime's spiritual pressure all over it. There was no doubt about where the girl had slept that night. Ichigo shook his head, imagining her curled up in that small place, like a cat...

He closed his eyes, and let his senses search for a more concentrated source of her spiritual pressure. He found it, more far than he had expected. Felt like she wasn't inside the house... Ichigo grew uneasy despite himself. He went to the door, opening it quickly, and stepping out to the pouch. The coldness of the early morning air hit him hard. He went to the railings, and looked around, searching.

He saw her almost immediately, and the uneasiness quieted. She was standing near the little lake's side, with her back turned to him. Her slender form was wrapped in his jacket again, and she was hugging it around herself tightly against the cold. The jacket was too big for her of course, she was nearly lost inside it. She wandered around a bit, to and forth, then climbing up to a rock, which reached above the water's surface.

Ichigo just continued looking at her. For some reason, she seemed utterly fragile, vulnerable now to him. He didn't know why that hit him so strongly in that moment. He had never thought of her as somebody weak, quite the contrary. He thought about her as someone, who had it particularly hard by life, but dealt with it well. The misfortunes that had befallen her in her past would have been enough to turn most people grim, intrusting, and aged in spirit... Yet, Orihime was still as warm as ever, keeping her childlike openness to the world in her heart, radiating hope and kindness to those around her. Ichigo greatly admired her for that... and he wanted her to keep this, this rare treasureable innocence of hers... because that was what really made her.

He started walking towards her slowly, tentatively. When he was only a few steps away, and he was just about to address her, she suddenly turned. Of course she could feel him, even without looking.

'Kurosaki-kun!'

A smile was on her face, but Ichigo could feel that it was a little forced, she probably only put it on for his benefit. Suddenly, what he was about to tell her seemed inappropriate, so he ended up closing his mouth back, and scowling.

'Hope I didn't wake you up when I came out...' Orihime said, still smiling strained. 'I didn't want to make a noise searching through my new clothes, so I put your jacket on again... I just had to see the view... it's so beautiful! With the morning lights, and the mist above the water's surface... it's like it's painted! And there is something consoling about watching the new sun rise... don't you think?'

'Yeah...' Ichigo said cautiously, but spearing more attention to the girl, than the scenery. He felt something in her countenance, that didn't sit right with him. 'Are you ok? And why did you sleep in the armchair? It must have been...'

Orihime looked at him, and her eyes suddenly widened, as if she had just realized something.

'Kurosaki-kun!' she exclaimed. 'Your jacket is on me! You'd better get back inside fast! You'll catch a cold, because of me! It's really cold this morning!'

He looked a little taken aback by the ferocity of her words.

'Uh... all right... aren't you coming?'

She smiled.

'Yes... in a minute.' she turned back to the view of the lake, and he had no choice left but to comply with her wish, feeling a little confused.

oOoOoOoOo

Once inside the house, Ichigo had the idea of taking a nice warm shower. He knew that starting the boiler was a little tricky, but he had a feeling that Mizuiro's note would contain some extra help on that. So he searched for the envelope in his pockets, and opened it. It indeed contained a letter, with some directions. In his letter, Mizuiro expressed his worries about their condition, but prompted them to feel themselves at home, for as long as it was necessary, with kind words.

He also wrote:

_'Mr Asano is giving me a real hard time. He had one of his rare insightful moments, and never believed the story about your rare disease... He figured you must have gone to rescue Inoue-san. And since he did, we thought it best to include him in on the secret, least he should start asking too many questions, drawing attention to your disappearance. But don't worry: we didn't tell him where you went, and I think Arisawa-san's threats will be more than sufficient to make him hold his big mouth!'_

And at the end of the letter, there were a few lines from Keigo himself. In capital letters...

_'Ichigo, my friend! You must be the world's luckiest bastard! No school is already too cool, but Inoue-san for 24 hours a day, just for yourself is super cool! Man! I can't even tell you how jealous I am! Why can't I ever run away with a beautiful girl like her! I'm always left out of everything! You are to make the most of your situation of course, and be sure to tell us all about it later!'_

Ichigo sighed after reading.

'Stupid Idiot!' he murmured, but he couldn't help a small smile forming in the corner of his lips. Just because the note had been so Keigoish...

With the letter's instructions, he managed to magic warm water fairly quickly. He fished out some fresh clothes for himself from one of the bags, and went to take the shower. By the time he finished, Orihime have thankfully decided to come inside. She also started to prepare breakfast, with the smell of coffee and frying eggs heavy in the air.

'So... what should we do after breakfast?' Ichigo asked, when they sipped their coffees, sitting at the kitchen table.

'I think we should unpack properly...' Orihime answered, sending a look to the big pile of bags next to the door. 'I better find those warm clothes Ishida-kun and Sado-kun packed for me.'

'Ok... and I'll see what I can do to make a fire.'

Looking over Orihime's new dresses turned out to be more fun than they expected, so Ichigo stayed with her. They made a kind of little game out of it...

Inoue was holding up a nice, girly, blue blouse, with frills on it's cuffs.

'Oh, this one is cute. I like it!'

'Definitely Ishida's style...' Ichigo said with a frown.

Orihime giggled.

'Yes. That's my guess too! And what about this one?' she asked, smoothing out a thick, lilac colored flannel pajamas, with cute bunny patterns. Seeing it, they said at the same time:

'Chad!'

'Sado-kun!'

They both laughed.

A khaki colored pants were immediately recognized by Orihime as Tatsuki's, along with some shirts. Then she looked at a thick grey sweater with a hoody, with some confusion. It looked quite large, and there was a huge strawberry printed at it's front.

'I really don't know who could this be...' Orihime wandered aloud.

Ichigo clapped a hand to his face, feeling a little mortified.

'My father... that's actually mine, I got it from him a few X-masses back... he thought it was hilarious. But I never wore it!'

Orihime smiled, and immediately put the sweater on.

'Mmm. It's nice soft, and warm... I think I'll like it!'

At the bottom of Orihime's sac, sat a separate bag, made out of silk.

'What could this be?' Orihime wandered, reaching for it.

Inside, there was a dress. Orihime pulled it out, gasping. It was made out of the same dark-blue material as it's container. It's skirt was long, reaching under the knees, and the top part had off the shoulder sleeves... It looked cute and delicate.

'What the hell?' Ichigo looked at the dress, with a dumbfounded expression. 'What ever were they thinking? That going into hiding meant I'm going to take you out to parties, or what? Why would you need a dress like this?'

Orihime only smiled.

'I know for a fact that Ishida-kun didn't buy this dress... he made it himself. It was a project of his, for our Home Handicrafts Club. All the girls were wild to have it in the end, since he himself obviously wouldn't wear it... I think he just wanted to surprise me with it!'

'I see...' said Ichigo, trying very hard not to imagine Ishida in the crown of a bunch of eagerly pleading girls...

'Oh! I must try it on right away! See if it fits!' Orihime grabbed the robe, and sprinted upstairs with it, with exhilaration shining in her eyes.

Ichigo just watched her disappear, and shook his head after her.

'You'll freeze in it in two seconds...' he murmured disapprovingly.

oOoOoOoOo

They spent the rest of the morning packing, and exploring the houses supplies further. Orihime became very excited, when they found a guitar in a corner. She took it in her hands immediately, trying the strings. Slightly dissonant notes filled the air.

'You'll have to tune it before playing.' Ichigo noted.

'Oh, I can't play at all... but it's just so fractionating! I've always wanted to learn to play some instrument... But I never had the chance...'

Ichigo reached for the guitar. She gave it to him.

'I can't really play either, but Chad taught me a little. I don't know whether I still remember anything... it was back in middle school...'

With ten minutes hard effort, Ichigo managed to tune the guitar considerably well, and play a simple children-song with it. Orihime listened, with shining eyes, and she applauded the little performance enthusiastically.

'That's the best I can do at the moment, I'm afraid.' Ichigo said, frowning.

'Will you teach me too?' Orihime asked hopefully.

He smiled.

'I can try...'

After lunch, they went outside. Orihime wandered at the lake's side again, searching for the most shining pebbles she could find. Ichigo went to the house's back, where there was a little hovel. He knew the axe and the stump on which the wood can be cut was there. He soon found everything, and set to work. For someone used to wielding a sword as heavy as Zangetsu, chopping firewood could be no problem... Sounds of breaking wood filled the air, reverberating in the silence of the peaceful forest. Orihime joined him after a while, watching the rise and fall of the axe curiously. But Ichigo was not prepared for her question, when she asked:

'Can I try it?'

He frowned.

'You're kidding, right? You can't really want to...'

She laughed.

'But I do!'

Ichigo frowned again. Somehow he didn't like the idea of that sharp blade in her arms, or it being swung anywhere near her other body-parts... But a quiet voice suddenly hissed in his ear: "_overbearing__!_"

'Ok then...' he said, sighing.

He handed her the axe's handle carefully, his eyes conveying the message that it was against his better judgment. Orihime eagerly took it. Her very first move made Ichigo squeak, and jump back a step.

'Whops! Sorry! It's heavier than I expected...' she apologized.

She lifted the axe over her head. It shook dangerously, and Ichigo's apprehension grew. Orihime's face was strained cutely in concentration, even her tongue sticking out a little.

'Mmm... Inoue...' Ichigo started, not bearing to hide his concern.

The blade came down, almost falling out of her hands, and missing the log completely, but thankfully her legs too. Ichigo smiled, half relieved, half amused.

'Look... now that's not how it's done!' he declared, stepping up to her, right behind her back, and grabbing both of her hands with his own, from her two sides, intending to show her the correct move.

But as soon as his fingers closed around her wrists, she suddenly froze... The next moment she jerked away from him violently. So violently, that she even dropped the axe. She turned, went back a few stumbling steps, and looked up at him, with her body trembling. She stood there only long enough for Ichigo to saw her expression: her eyes were full of a strong emotion, that could only be described as terror. Then she turned, and just ran away...

'Inoue!' Ichigo cried after her desperately. He was so shocked by what happened at first, that he hardly had any room left in him for any other emotion. But once he was left alone, standing there stupidly, with his hand still raised after her, and with the feel of her name still in his mouth, the tides closed over his head... Dark, heavy, bitter feelings invaded him, so fiercely, that his gut clenched painfully. He didn't even know the name of the feeling, only knew that it hurt, terribly. After the hurt, came the anger. It helped counter the truly unmanly urge to sit down and cry. He didn't know whom or what it was he was angry at, but he just embraced the emotion, as a shield. He picked the axe up, and tossed it into the log, with an anger-fueled cry. The log fell completely apart, from just that one thrust... He brushed the parts to the floor, breathing heavily. He sat down on the stump, willing his mind to calm down, to be able to think.

He was scared, he was confused and perplexed, he was a little ashamed, and of course angry... His hands were pressed into tight fists, his knuckles white, and his nails digging into his palm...

Was he angry at Inoue? No. That couldn't be right, could it? At himself then? But he didn't do anything wrong! Or did he? Why did she suddenly reject him like that? Oh, he was not good at all with stuff like this... with solving how girl's minds worked...

Just what has happened? One moment they were playing carefreely, and at the other, she's suddenly offended? By what? It was not like this was the first time there was physical contact between them... though he tried to respect her personal space most of the time... after all she was a girl, even though his friend! And he was not that comfortable anyway with physical closeness, not even with his family or most close friends. But those scarce touches that had occurred between them in the past, never seemed to bother Inoue before... And it had been hardly a day ago that the girl herself had jumped into his arms, for havens sake! Why was it different now? Just because they were alone now, was it a mistake to even touch her? To even touch her hand? Such big a mistake, that it would earn such violent reactions from her? No... he didn't think so. His move could have made her shy and embarrassed, maybe even uncomfortable, but it was not so bad to trigger this...

He remembered her expression. That scared, vulnerable expression, like a gentle bird looking into a snake's eyes... Then he suddenly remembered... Realization hit him lie a bolt of lightning. He had seen this face before. It was the same expression from that night, when he had rescued her from the van... He suddenly cursed loud and long. And now he knew at whom his anger was directed at!

oOoOoOoOo

Orihime ran. Her legs carried her fast, even though she had no idea whatsoever of where she wanted to go. Hot tears obscured her vision totally, and twice she almost tripped in her own feet, but she couldn't stop... She really was terrified. While her instincts were in control of her actions now, there was a small part of her mind that was able to think rationally. This part was aware quite keenly that she had just hurt one of the most important persons in her life. Terribly... She felt so ashamed!

It was a miracle, but she managed to reach the house, tearing the door open, and running right upstairs, into the secluded bedroom, securing the door behind herself. She fell down on the bed weakly, giving free way to her tears.

She moaned, as a wave of self-loathing washed through her. She was angry at herself. Didn't she vow to herself last night, that she'd be strong? Didn't she vow not breaking down on Kurosaki-kun? Again! And she did just that... in the worst, most humiliating and painful way imaginable...

The truth was, that Orihime had gone upstairs to the bedroom last night. She had even intended to sleep there... But when she had entered the the perfect room, with a comfortable looking double-bed, and a cute rose-patterned comforter on top of it, she had suddenly felt it to be cold indeed... and this coldness hadn't been entirely a temperature thing. She was suddenly struck by a longing... a longing for her own place, her own bed, her own old, slightly tattered pink blanket, her Enraku looking down from the shelf friendlily... and she had realized she would never have those things again... She could never go home again...

Before she had known it, she had broken down completely. She had heard the voices of Takeuchi and Kuono, taunting her, reminding her of everything they've taken from her... Her home, her security... probably her whole future, as she had dreamed it... and her first kiss...

And she had heard an other voice too... Ever since her time in Hueco Mundo, she'd heard it every time she had it really bad. The most dreaded voice of them all: Aizen... taunting her to smile...

She had tried to calm herself, reminding herself, again and again, that she was safe now... but the fear just wouldn't go away. Twice she had almost waken Kurosaki-kun up, just to hear his voice, but thought it selfish. He had already done more than enough for her, she hadn't wanted to burden him further, when he had been finally able to have a little rest...

But she just hadn't been able to bear being alone that night, that's why she had gone back downstairs, collecting all the blankets she had been able to find, taking refuge in the armchair. Even there, she hadn't really been able to sleep, and it had been her, who had kept adding blankets on top of Ichigo... When ever she had tried to get some sleep, terrible pictures would invade her mind... of her apartment in flames... of Ichigo trashing on the ground in pain, with Kouno looking down on him coldly... and of Takeuchi taking hold of her in the van...

How could Ichigo's innocent move have reminded her so forcibly of that moment, she would never be able to grasp... but it had happened. And she just knew he would hate her now for it, for all his life... It had already been bad enough that it had been him, who rescued her, it had been him, who had seen her shame... she wished it would have been anyone but him!

She didn't know what to do now... The turmoil of her emotions hardly let her think anyway. She knew she needed to make things right. She needed to apologize to him... tell him that it was not his fault. She was sure the poor boy must have no idea of what really happened. But she felt guilty and ashamed... and all alone...

She wished that Tatsuki was here now! She so needed her chosen sister to comfort her! But they were alone... Just her and Kurosaki-kun. And how selfish: after everything that happened, after she had hurt him so badly, she still wanted to run back, to go to him... and above all, she wanted him to comfort her, to protect her...

She must be some ungrateful, cruel monster to feel this way...

She just knew Kurosaki-kun must hate her now... he must do! For she hated herself... for being weak... for not being able to defend herself... for always needing protection... and most of all, for hurting him. For she had seen it in his eyes...

She would never be able to look in his eyes again!

She was so immersed in her heavy funk, that she didn't even notice Ichigo's spiritual pressure draw nearer... but she heard the stairs squeak. She froze...

'Inoue?' came Ichigo's tentative voice from outside.

The surprise of hearing his voice made Orihime's sobs subdue. There was a pause, then he spoke again.

'Don't be afraid... you don't have to come out, I just want to say something...' his voice was warm and reassuring. He didn't sound angry at all... concerned yes, but not angry or accusing...

Orihime stood up slowly, approaching the door... She brushed away most of her tears from her face. She could tell that Kurosaki-kun was just on the other side...

'Inoue... I... I just want to tell you, that I'm here... If you are ready to come out, or talk about it, I'll listen... but if you don't want to talk, that's fine too.'

Orihime reached out, and put one of her palms against the door. Her hand trembled a little, but she couldn't bring herself to grab the doorhandle. The silence stretched on...

Orihime heard a heavy sigh.

'I'll be just downstairs, ok?' Ichigo finally said.

The sounds from outside told Orihime, that he was going away. She listened to his retreating footsteps, and just continued standing there, half plastered to the inside of the door.

Ichigo must have gone outside again, because a few moments later Orihimne heard the forceful _'thud-thud'_ sounds of the axe cutting the wood again... She winced with every new thrust, as she heard them to be savagely heavy...

oOoOoOoOo

Ichigo was cutting the wood, with gritted teeth, and a wild glint in his eyes. He needed to went his frustration on something, and now he imagined each and every log to be that bastard yakuzza member's ugly face! Too bad the man wasn't there right then... He wouldn't have been content with one simple punch now: he would tear him to pieces! Burn him alive! Break every single bone in his worthless body!

He had solved the mystery of why Inoue acted like she did, and some of the bitter feelings he had felt earlier went away... but the discovery was not such to bring him any kind of peace. He didn't know what to do... He remembered his father's words about this kind of protecting being different... how right he had been! He had hardly spent one day alone with Inoue, and he already wished Tatsuki was here to help him... or even Ishida. He guessed the Quincy would be more apt at comforting Inoue in his place, with his cool way of handling things, and keen insights. Maybe even Chad would be better suited for the job with his calm demeanor. But they weren't here right now... he would just have to deal with it. He only wished he knew how...

And to make matters even worse, something that Grimmjaw had said to him during their fight kept repeating inside his mind:

_'Did it content you to find her unhurt? Maybe she was hurt from the inside...'_

While these words had hunted him after the winter war, he hadn't been thinking about them lately. And now it seemed he had made the same mistake again. When his father had told him that Inoue was right, physically, he had been content with that answer... but of course mental wounds took longer to heal...

Finally he abandoned the task of cutting up wood (he supposed he'd made enough for a few days at least anyway), and he went inside. There was still no sign of her coming down...

oOoOoOoOo

Ichigo finally heard the long awaited sound of the stairs squeaking under Orihime's feet, as she slowly came down. While concerned about what will happen now, he felt relief. It's been hours since she ran up there, and even though he had promised to wait for her to come down, he was starting to get really uneasy, and the temptation to check on her began to get overwhelming.

He waited, until he felt her come right behind him. Only then did he turn, slowly, back from the oven, facing her. Orihime stood in the doorway of the kitchen, wearing the expression of a lost little kitten. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying.

They looked at each other, neither of them speaking for a minute.

Finally Ichigo sighed.

'Well sit down! Dinner is almost ready... Hope you're hungry as hell, because I've never really cooked before, and I'm a little anxious about the outcome.'

Orihime eyes bulged a little at his tone, unbelieving...

'H...hai...' she choked out weakly.

She sat, as she was told, with her eyes cast down. Ichigo put a plate, and chopsticks before her.

'Let me tell you about the menu... it's got just about everything I found, that could be made ready by either being heated in the microwave, or by being put in hot water... I think I exhausted the limits of my cooking ability with the pasta, though... I think I overcooked it a bit... but never mind.' Ichigo felt like a babbling idiot, but he just had to try keep speaking... it didn't really matter about what... 'But I think this instant chocolate pudding will make it up for it, right?'

Orihime wanted to keep her eyes on the ground shyly, but they raised despite herself to see the rare, capturing, slightly hesitant show Ichigo was putting up in the kitchen.

'Ah... where were the knives again? Nope... not here... And we're still missing the glasses! Man! What's this? Just who needs a candlestick in the kitchen? I want a knife, damn it! And I'm sure I've seen a bottle of soya-sauce somewhere...'

Finally Ichigo managed to put everything on the table, sitting down himself too, opposite Orihime, who studied the slightly random variety of foods before herself wide eyed. Ichigo waited a little for her to serve herself first, but when she only continued staring, he thought it best to take the lead again. They began eating, mostly in silence. Despite all his heroic efforts to take their mind of things, there was much awkwardness and tension in the air.

Throughout dinner, Ichigo scrupulously avoided coming anywhere near touching her... He kept talking lightly, but his posture was stiff. He was painfully aware of where his hands were all the time, guarding them from any inattentive movement, and he moved his chair as far away from the table, as he could, while still able to eat, in order to avoid his knees touching hers...

Orihime ate silently. Only when they reached to the previously mentioned chocolate pudding did she finally speak, in a small voice.

'Thank you for making me dinner, Kurosaki-kun... everything was delicious... even the pasta.'

Ichigo appreciated her speaking more, than her actual praise, but he thanked her anyway.

'I think Tatsuki must have packed this instant pudding.' Orihime continued, thoughtfully stirring her own bowl with her spoon. 'She always keeps a pack or two of this at home... and when ever I'm feeling down, or just needed some cheering up, she makes me one... and I sometimes put some red bean paste in it, which makes her grimace...' she said, with the corner of her mouth trembling a little.

Ichigo stood up unexpectedly. He searched through some items of groceries on a shelf.

'Here!' he said finally, putting a bottle of red bean paste before Orihime. 'Then I guess it must have been her, who included this too.'

Orihime's eyes brightened. She grabbed the bottle enthusiastically, the first true smile breaking across her features. Ichigo also smiled, relieved. He was certainly throwing the red bean paste bottle more friendly looks than he would have thought possible before...

Orihime was now taking off the strawberry sweater, she had put on earlier.

'You've made a fire.' she noted. 'It feels considerably more warm...'

'Yeah...' Ichigo said with a frown. 'Took me forever to get it started! The fireplace needed some cleaning out first, then I couldn't find the match... some idiot thought it good fun to hide it in the bathroom! But I got there in the end...'

The mood lightened with every word they spoke, both of their smiles becoming gradually more natural. When they finished the pudding, Orihime rose, and started to clean away the dishes.

'I'll do the washing up tonight... it's only fair, since you did everything else alone!'

Ichigo stood up too.

'Let's do it together. There is nothing else to do anyway, so I don't mind!'

He handed her the plates and cutlery, while she washed them.

'Hey, do you want to watch a movie when we're finished?' Ichigo asked. 'I found some DVD's... it's not a big collection, but I'm sure we'll find something watchable...'

Orihime smiled.

'Sure... sounds great.'

Having finished with the dishes, they went inside the living room.

'What kind of film would you like to watch?' Ichigo asked.

'I don't know... Chose something. I'll be right back.' Orihime said, and she disappeared in the bathroom.

Ichigo purposefully chose a light comedy, one which he was pretty sure wouldn't contain any dark or disturbing scene... He sat down to the crouch, with the remote in his hand, waiting for her. She came, and stood before the crouch, looking a little hesitant. Ichigo expected her to occupy the armchair again, or at least the far end of the crouch. But she surprised him by coming close, and kneeling right next to him, so that she was facing him. Ichigo looked confused and weary...

Orihime took a big breath.

'Kurosaki-kun... are you angry at me?' she asked, while not really looking at him.

Ichigo's eyes bulged.

'Angry at you?... Inoue! That's the farthest thing from my mind...'

He was scared, because Orihime looked suspiciously like she was fighting back tears again...

'You are a little... erm... unstable, because of everything that had happened...' he told her firmly. 'You just need some time to get over things. I'd be a real jerk, if I would be angry because of that!'

Orihime looked at him now, and he saw that her eyes were indeed wet.

'You are so kind to me... And I had hurt you! I'm... I'm so... sorry...' she whispered.

Ichigo's hand twitched... he almost reached out to grab her hand again, but thought better of it at the last second.

_'Fuck! I can't do this! Just how am I supposed to __behave with her now__?'_ he thought wildly.

But suddenly he felt her hand cover his. She had seen his move, and it was her, who reached out, touching him. He looked down on their hands, almost disbelieving. Very carefully he turned his own hand under hers, so that he could wrap his fingers around her. Her fingers also tightened around him, telling him that it was all right...

They didn't dare look into each others eyes. After some time, Orihime slowly shifted, sitting next to him properly, not releasing his hand. She didn't say anything further, so Ichigo finally pushed the start button on the remote. They watched the whole movie staying like this. It was a little awkward, holding hands like this, but they were both content with it.

After the movie, Ichigo accompanied her upstairs to the bedroom, to see if she would need anything for the night. The bedroom was not so warm as the living room, but it was still warmer, than it had been the previous night, some of the heat from the fireplace reaching there. Orihime climbed inside the bed.

'Are you gonna be all right now?' Ichigo asked.

She nodded, smiling sincerely.

'Yes. Thank you!... Could you please leave some light on for me?'

'Ok... and I'm leaving the door open, so that more heat would come inside. Good night, Inoue!'

'Good night...'

Ichigo was struck by some unknown foreboding, and he grabbed a spare mattress from under her bed, before going down... It was more comfortable to sleep on that anyway, than on the couch. He went to sleep fast too, tired after all the emotional stress of the day.

Halfway through the night, he woke up once, and looking up, he immediately saw his foreboding proved right: Orihime was sleeping there, right next to him on the couch... At least it was not the armchair this time... Ichigo smiled a little, before dropping his head back down, falling back to sleep.

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: Angsty chapter. Hope you didn't mind... There will be more comic relief in the next one, I hope... I've rewritten the gist of this chapter for like a thousand times! It's sometimes hard to show both Orihime's and Ichigo's point of view, with all the emotions present! I like to write heavy scenes like this, but I sometimes feel that there is so many thoughts inside my head, that I can't put them in order for my readers..._

_Please, review, and tell me what you think! _

_(side note: I came to realize, that with this story, I've got to improve my English vocabulary... There are just no language books telling you about cutting up wood, or tuning a guitar! And the vocabulary sometimes doesn't tell you which one is the most appropriate word or or expression...(for example I missed the word "groceries" in the last chapter, and the vocabulary only had "food stuff" in it, which I think is not that appropriate, and I only realized later). So, please, if you feel that I'm using the wrong expression for things, just tell me! I'll be most grateful to you, if you'll help me improve!)_


	6. True colors

_Chapter 6 _

True colors

A few rays of the morning sun found their way inside the house through the window, finally waking the pair. Ichigo woke first, the rays hitting his face directly, but his fidgeting immediately woke Orihime too. They both opened their eyes, and looked at each other, blinking.

Orihime felt her cheeks began to heat up, being painfully conscious of how disheveled she must look after the night. She wished Kurosaki-kun would look some other way, but he was still too drowsy, and didn't even notice that he was staring at her, maybe a little inappropriately, and making her embarrassed... She averted her eyes, and greeted quietly.

'Ohayo... Kurosaki-kun!'

Ichigo smiled. This greeting felt almost the same as her greeting every morning in school. Except that it was totally different...

'Ohayo!' he greeted back, raising his head. He was still looking at her, continuously. He noted that the girl must have slept well: her features were relaxed, and she really looked cute with her hair slightly out of order and her cheeks a little pink where the pillow must have left a mark on it... It made his heart warm to see her this comfortable and... well... normal this morning.

Orihime also looked at him now, and her previous self-consciousness disappeared instantly... She began to giggle. Ichigo sent her a questioning look, but she only shook her head to indicate she wasn't going to share the source of her amusement. There was just no way she could tell him how the level of his hair's spikiness now made up for it not being orange any more! Looked like she wasn't the only one disheveled in the morning.

They had the obligate little quarrel about who should use the bathroom first (each wanting to be courteous with the other). Orihime lost of course, in the name of men chivalry. She later found this a convenient arrangement after all, because it left her free to make him breakfast, while he made himself ready too. She was in the middle of making their morning coffees, when suddenly she heard a sharp shout, and sounds of something falling down, coming from the bathroom...

She didn't stop to think about what to do. She promptly dropped the spoon and the sugar-jar, and ran to the bathroom door, tearing it open.

'Kurosaki-kun!'

The mighty soul reaper was sitting on the floor, in a position that looked anything but natural, in nothing but his boxers, looking up at the entering girl stupidly. Orihime immediately stopped. She remained frozen in place for a few seconds, blinking. Then she started to slowly edge back. Her face burned.

'S-s-sorry! I'm-m so sorry! I just... I m-m-mean... you shouted!' she babbled, stuttering badly.

Ichigo shook his head, standing up quickly, wearing his meanest scowl, to hide his embarrassment.

'Great! Just great!' he fumed.

Orihime turned her back to him, to give him some privacy, and to be able to regain some of her composure.

'Did you trip?' she asked, sounding hesitant.

'No!'

'But you have fallen over!'

'Obviously... keen observation, Inoue, thank you!' he said acidly.

Orihime bit her lip.

'But what happened?'

Ichigo sighed.

'Look here!' he said.

Orihime hesitated a second. To be able to see what he was showing her, she would have to turn back. She was not sure whether she wanted to see ANYTHING. She felt she had already seen enough... But her curiosity got the better of her in the end.

She looked. Ichigo was pointing at apparently thin air before himself. Orihime became confused. Then something glistering caught her attention, floating in the air between them, reflecting the light. It was a fine thread of spiderweb. Looking more closely, she spotted the fat little spider hanging at the end of it, working busily with it's eight leg, to lengthen the thread.

Orihime's features lighted up with sudden excitement.

'Oh! How cute! Why hello there Long-legs-san! How are you doing?'

'What?' said a truly indignant and angry Ichigo. 'Don't go giving a name to that thing! After it scared me out of my whits and I almost broke my neck because of it!'

Orihime lifted her eyes to him from the spider, understanding shining in them.

'Oh... I didn't know you were afraid of spiders, Kurosaki-kun.'

Ichigo looked even more taken aback than before.

'I... I am not!' he shouted, with some anger. He folded his arms before himself, and scowled, looking like a small child sulking.

Orihime smiled in a way that she meant to be reassuring.

'It's not a big deal... many people are afraid of them!'

'But I'm not afraid! I don't particularity like them, but I'm not afraid! As if! It's just that the hideous thing landed right on my naked shoulder! Anyone would have freaked out!'

Orihime didn't answer anything, because the word "naked" reminded her of the piquancy of the situation, bringing a new blush to her cheeks. Ichigo picked up the towel from next to the sink, twisting it up, intending to smash the poor spider with it.

'No!' Orihime moaned. 'Don't hurt him!'

'Inoue! I'm not having this thing inside the house any more! I don't mind them outside, but it has to vanish from here!'

Orihime stepped forward, and took the little creature inside her palm.

'Uh! Gross! Don't touch it! It will bite you!' Ichigo protested.

Orihime only laughed.

'No he won't... isn't that right, Long-legs-san? I'm taking him out to the hovel behind the house. He'll be nice and cozy there, and maybe he can meet up with his little friends! I'm sure he'll be able to build a nice net there, and we can visit him any time we want!'

'Inoue. It's... hm... HE is a spider. He can take care of himself! Just set it free somewhere in the forest!'

'But I want to keep him! Spiders are so fascinating creatures! Did you know that if you interrupt a spider during the task of making his net, and put it to a different location, he'll just finish the job anyway, like there was an unabortable computer-program inside him?'

'That's not very smart...' Ichigo frowned.

Orihime was cradling the spider happily and cautiously between her two palms, occasionally sending it curious looks through a little gap she allowed.

'You know, I used to be afraid of spiders too...' she said, thoughtfully.

'I'm not afraid!' Ichigo murmured, ascertaining this for the forth time now, but the girl didn't even seem to hear him.

'Once there was a little spider in the corner of our room – we lived in a much smaller apartment with my brother Sora then – and I didn't even want to go near it. That was when Sora said, that since I always wanted a pet, but he couldn't afford buying me one, I could keep the spider as a pet! Then we named him Long-legs-san. And somehow, since then, I'm not afraid of spiders any more! Maybe it will be the same with you, Kurosaki-kun! Maybe you'll learn to like them too!'

Ichigo didn't have the heart to tell her how unlikely that was... if he had disliked spiders before, the fact that one of their brethren just managed to completely ruin his reputation before her didn't do much to warm him up to them...

He was still grumpy, when he came out from the bathroom ten minutes later, fully dressed. He didn't see Orihime anywhere, but the breakfast was already on the table, and two steaming mugs of coffee on the counter. He immediately grabbed one of the mugs, gratefully taking a large sip.

But the gratefulness disappeared as soon as his tastebuds connected with the dark liquid... He spit out the whole mouthful.

'Aaaaaa! Shit! Fuck! Bloody Hell! What ever is this stuff?'

His whole mouth burned.

Orihime was coming down from upstairs now. Looked like she didn't see or hear his newest outbreak. She was smiling.

'I made pancakes for us this morning! Hope you like them! We have strawberry jam to go with it! Mmmm! And the coffee is right there. The blue mug is yours, the red is my special thing... you'll never guess what I like to put in it!'

'Wasabi...' he said bitterly.

Orihime's jaw fell comically. She clapped her hands together.

'Wow! You're amazing! On the first guess!'

As Ichigo sat down to eat, he noted to himself that today was obviously not his day...

oOoOoOoOo

After breakfast, Ichigo decided to rebuild his broken dignity with some working out: he intended to jog around the lake, as a start. He asked Orihime whether she wanted to join him. She looked a little hesitant.

'Mmm... I really would like to see the lake from the other side too... but I'm afraid I'm not a great runner.'

Ichigo smiled.

'Nah! It doesn't matter. We can go as slow as you want... we have all the time in the world after all.' he added the last part a little bitterly.

Orihime bit her lip.

'Ok.' she said finally. 'I'll be ready in a sec!'

She pulled the strawberry sweater on top of her other clothes, and they went outside. The weather was nice, with the sun shining, and the air clear. The morning frost remained on the grass in only those places where the sun's rays have not yet reached.

Ichigo lead the way, taking up a comfortable pace. He seemed to become more and more happy, as they proceeded. He was trilled by the exercise, by the nice feel of adrenaline rushing through his system, and all the fresh air flow through his lungs.

It became evident after the first few minutes, that Orihime wasn't exaggerating about her running skills... They hardly made one quarter of the journey, and yet she was gasping for breath, huffing like a steam-engine, with her face unhealthily red. Though Ichigo was holding back, as far as he could, she still had trouble keeping up.

_'Stupid, stupid Orihime!' _shewas inwardly scolding herself. '_Why did you have to say yes? When you know very well, that running is not your thing! A hitch gets in your side the instant you try it!You have never managed to get the hang of the rhythm of jogging. Even Tatsuki admitted that it's better to leave it out of your training altogether, and thought up different methods for building up your stamina for karate! What ever were you thinking, volunteering to go jogging with Kurosaki-kun?'_

It was true, that she wanted to see the lake's other side, but there were other reasons that had made her say yes... First of all, she just didn't want to stay back, alone. That was an understandable reason, even if throughoutly selfish! But she also wanted to appear sporty and fit in his eyes, because she was sure that Kurosaki-kun liked sporty girls. She was trying to act like somebody she's not, in order to appeal to him, to impress him! It was mere vanity. A grave mistake. And right now, she was paying the price for it... She suffered in silence, trying to hide how far she was spent already, and wondering whether she'll be able to keep going all the way...

Ichigo on the other hand, was having such a great time, that he hardly noticed her unease. He liked the peace of the surrounding forest, and his eyes scanned the scene before him keenly. He would ran ahead now and then, take occasional side-trips, climbing up rocks or lifeless tree-trunks, before waiting Orihime up. Their route lead them on, sometimes twisting deeper into the forest, before returning to the lake's shore. They passed a few other summer-houses like theirs, but all of them looked abandoned. Seemed like nobody came here at this time of the year. On their left, stood a little hill, with a steep slope leading up, and rocky cliffs on it's top. Ichigo studied it with interest. He had a sudden idea, born no doubt out of his current high spirits.

'Hey, Inoue!' he shouted, running back to meet her. 'How about we change the plan a little? I want to climb up there!' he said pointing directly above them, to the whitely shining cliffs.

The poor girl stopped, trying to catch her breath.

'Climb up?' she asked uncertainly, raising her eyes higher and higher, until she saw the hill's top, towering over her in seemingly unreachable heights. 'There?' she asked, her tone disbelieving.

'Yes! I bet the view's worth it!'

'I like the view down here.' she said carefully.

Ichigo laughed.

'I promise everything will look totally different from the cliff's top! You'll see!'

'Oh... I really don't know...'

'Come on, Inoue! It will be great!'

Orihime looked up at the hill again, with an expression that was almost pleading... like she was silently asking the geologic formation to shrink. Or vanish altogether.

'But what direction do you want to take?' she finally asked, her pleas obviously being ignored. 'I don't even see any paths...'

Ichigo grinned, and pointed straight ahead.

'Up.' he said simply. 'To the top.'

'What if we get lost?' Orihime was trying to grasp at straws.

He snorted.

'Don't worry. I'll go ahead. And I wont lead us astray! You trust me, don't you?'

Orihime smiled a little.

'Of course.'

Ichigo looked so happy now, that she wouldn't have had the heart to oppose him further anyway. He rushed ahead with spirit, looking like a hund-dog, who caught a trail. He really just headed for the hill's top straight on, attacking the "enemy" with his usual straightforwardness.

Orihime tried to follow. The ground soon began to raise under her feet, until it became rather steep. She proceeded more slowly and cautiously, trying to find the best footing, but soon needing her two hands too, to support her climb. She didn't understand how Kurosaki-kun could make this look so easy. He was well ahead of her, practically jumping from rock to rock.

'Hey... Kurosaki-kun! Wait up!' she cried after him. Then added more quietly: 'I'm not some bird... or a chamois...'

Ichigo stopped and turned back, supporting himself against a narrow tree contently, and looked down to survey how high they managed to reach so far.

'Look!' he shouted to her. 'Here is a deer-path. Even animals climb up here! Ah! I can see almost the whole lake from here. And what's that... some bird is flying over the treetops. Something huge. Must be a falcon... or an eagle. I'm not that good with birds.'

Orihime was panting worse than ever. She looked up to the heights they had yet to climb, and her heart failed her.

'Oh, no!' she moaned, quietly so that Ichigo wouldn't hear. 'Climbing mountains must be a boy thing... I can't understand why anyone would want to climb up, instead of staying peacefully down...'

After an other couple of hard steps, she finally reached him. She noted that she was now seeing a whole different Ichigo before her. He usually hid this side of him well, not showing this kind of fascination towards anything, preferring to treat everything with his scowl and careless attitude. He was certainly letting some of his guards down at the moment, and Orihime only wished she would be in any condition to appreciate it better. But even breathing was a hard job for her. And it only became harder as they began to climb further.

'Are you ok?' Ichigo asked after a while.

'Mhum!' she choked out, weakly.

'There is a little ledge over there. We can stop there, if you want.'

'Yes, please!' she answered gratefully.

Ichigo headed for the ledge. But Orihime's knees shook from weakness, and she tripped with the first step.

'Aaaaw!' she screamed, as she began sliding down. The stones rolled out from under her feet, she couldn't stop.

Ichigo was there in a flash, catching her.

'Got ya! Hey, did you leave something at the bottom?' he teased.

'Only my wits...' Orihime laughed shakily. She had really been scared for a moment. 'I'm sorry I'm being a nuisance, and slowing you down...'

'Don't say that! You're doing just fine! Come on... I'm going to lead you to safety, and we're gonna rest some before continuing!' he assured her.

Ichigo offered her his hand, and carefully lead her to the ledge. Orihime sank down on a rock, feeling miserable. Ichigo waited patiently for her to recover, giving his attention to the scenery again. He was trying to get a better glimpse of that hunting bird he had seen earlier.

'Might do better with binoculars...' he murmured.

'All right... I think I'm ready to continue.' Orihime said, sighing, and getting to her feet.

Ichigo smiled at her.

'Do you want me to help you again?' he asked, offering his hand.

Orihime blushed. She looked at his extended hand hesitantly, then put hers inside his. Ichigo wrapped his fingers around her, looking happy and excited, like an eager child. He started to half haul her up the hill. It was certainly more easy for her this way, and the thought of their closeness provided a nice distraction for her thoughts from her unease. Ichigo was also more obliged to take her limits into consideration.

He lead them on a route by-passing the cliffs from one side, so that they could reach the top without any mountaineering. Finally, the ground began to even out under their feet. The only thing Orihime felt at first, was relief... she had made it, and in one piece! Instead of the dead leaves and rocks, there was now soft grass under their feet, telling them that there must be some kind of clearing further behind the trees. The cliffs were right next to them: ancient, moss-clad boulders, silent sentinels of passing time. The canopie of greenery broke right above them, so that the very top was basking in warm sunlight. Even to the tired Orihime, the site looked awesome and inviting.

Ichigo released her, and he quickly shrugged out of his sweater, leaving only his shirt on. He ran to the cliffs fast, leaving her behind. She followed slowly. He skillfully climbed to the highest rock, looking down to the abyss eagerly.

'I knew it! Just come and see! Magnificent!'

He stood up, and turned back to her, grinning. Orihime stopped. She looked up at him, and a warm affectionate smile slowly lighted up her features. Somehow she knew she would always remember this moment. Seeing him like this... She purposefully worked to attache it to her memory even more. Noting how the wind caught in his shirt, and how the sun's rays returned some orange to his hair, and how his eyes were shining. She suddenly didn't mind having to climb up here any more... She wouldn't have given up this moment for anything!

She started to climb up too, and when she reached close enough, Ichigo gave her his hand again, to pull her up the last rather high step. They stood next to each other. Orihime's heart gave a wild beat, as she looked down too. Everything did look different from up here. Like they had passed some unknown frontier, traveling into a different dimension. There was something about those rocks, that radiated peace and wisdom, making Orihime feel like she was a little grain of sand compared to them, but standing on their tops also made her feel as tall as a giant. A lot of emotions were swirling inside her, but most of all, she was glad that she was sharing this moment with him.

She turned her head sideways a little, her eyes wandering to him. He was smiling slightly, the scowl missing altogether. He looked happy, unguarded and so free... and to her eyes he also looked hearbreakingly beautiful. She knew it was not the custom to think about boys in such therms (a boy could be cool, awesome, hot or nice looking, but never beautiful) but she couldn't help it.

As they continued standing there, she couldn't help an other thought enter her head... It made a heavy blush rise to her cheeks, heating even her ears. She had had a crush on Kurosaki-kun for so long now, she couldn't even remember clearly how it had started. She had been just an innocent, dreamy girl then, who hadn't been able to imagine greater delight, than to sit on a see-saw with the object of her affections... But that had changed gradually. She wasn't 15 any more, and neither was him. She was still dreamy, and still more innocent than most girls her age, but lately, she was starting to feel other, more womanly desires. And it suddenly just occurred to her, an uncalled, uninvited thought, that this moment and this place would be too perfect for a kiss... For one brief second, she even pretended to herself, that she believed he had brought her up here for that very purpose. Because it would have been so romantic!

But of course, in reality, she knew very well how improbable that was. Impossible even. Especially after what had happened between them the day before! They weren't even close to that sort of relationship anyway, and if there had been any intention in him to take things that way (which she seriously doubted), she must have successfully destroyed all traces of it with her freaking out on him. So how could such a crazy thought enter her head, she didn't know. It made her embarrassed, but it also made her warm and fuzzy inside. It was just a beautiful thought, apart from any reality. She smiled a warm, slightly sad smile.

Ichigo turned to look at her now, and the excited light immediately dimmed in his eyes, clouded by a little concern.

'Wow, Inoue! You are still so red in the face! This climb was sure to much for you! Are you all right?'

Orihime smiled.

'I'm fine, thank you! And you were so right! It was worth it...'

oOoOoOoOo

They watched a new movie that night, sitting side by side on the couch, though not holding hands this time. Ichigo promised her that he'll try to do something about the aerial tomorrow, so that they could watch different channels, with the news. They really were cut out from the outside world at the moment. After the film, they changed into their pajamas separately, in he bathroom.

Ichigo brought out the mattress again, while Orihime didn't even bother to pretend going up to the bedroom tonight: she made herself a bed on the couch again. They both felt the situation to be rather awkward, so they didn't talk at all, and avoided even looking at each other.

Before climbing inside her bed, Orihime went upstairs, to her things, and brought down the slightly run-down picture of Sora Inoue with her.

'Kurosaki-kun? I hope you don't mind... I haven't spoken to Onii-chan for a long time now. Would it be all right if I did so now?'

Ichigo had already climbed under his blankets, but sat up now.

'Sure.' he said. He wanted to ask her whether she needed some privacy for it, before realizing that if she did, she would probably have chosen the bedroom for paying her respects. So he remained silent, feeling a little out of place, and unsure.

Orihime looked around in the room, a little hesitantly, then her eyes landed on the shelf above the fireplace. That certainly looked like a worthy enough place. She arranged the beloved picture there carefully, and sat down on her heels before it.

'Er... hi, Onii-chan. It's been a while.' she started a little self consciously. So much has happened, and then I was feeling down, and didn't want to sadden you with my problems...'

Ichigo shook his head slightly. It was just so typical! Only Inoue could be this selfless... she worried about being a burden to even the dead!

'But I'm all better now! And I'm trying to focus on the good things, not the bad. Kurosaki-kun told me that it was no use straining ourselves over things we can't control, and he is right... He is so kind to me, and taking good care of me... He even caught me today, when I almost slid down the mountain side!' she giggled a little nervously, remembering her own clumsiness. 'So... you don't have to worry about me at all...'

Orihime sank into silence for a moment, but then she continued on, babbling a little incoherently, but cheerily, about how beautiful the view of the lake had been from the top of the hill, and how much she liked the house they were currently living in, and that she missed her friends from home terribly. Ichigo couldn't fully follow her, because an unfathomable emotion had settled inside him, forming a painful lump in his throat. He just watched the girl before him, his eyes becoming a little glassy.

'… They packed us delicious doughnuts, and Tatsuki-chan remembered to add wasabi and red-been paste too! Can you believe it? I'm so lucky to have such magnificent, thoughtful and caring friends!... I do hope everyone is all right. Well... I think that's all for tonight... good night, Onii-chan!'

She suddenly turned back to Ichigo.

'Kurosaki-kun! Do you want to say anything?'

'Me?' he asked, quickly stunned out of his previous dazedly state.

'Of course!'

'I... I don't think I can... I never did this kind of thing before...' he said, sounding insecure.

Orihime smiled gently.

'It's all right. You don't have to.'

She wanted to turn back, but Ichigo suddenly said:

'Wait. I sink I do want to tell him something.'

Orihime was looking at him, expectant and curious.

'I want to tell him, that he has a wonderful and strong sister. He should be proud.'

They were looking at each other, but suddenly both of them found keeping up eye-contact unbearable. They both looked down.

'Thank you...' Orihime whispered, hardly audible.

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: Please, please, please, leave a review! Even if it's just a few words, it means a lot to me! And do tell me whether I'm taking this story to where you want/expect/hope it! (Scene requests too will still be considered.)_

_Oh, yeah, and the hill-climbing scene is from real life (I'm Orihime of course... :-)))_


	7. Settling in

_Chapter 7 _

Settling in

'Inoue! Which one's the killer-coffee?' Ichigo shouted.

'Um... the one on the right. I think.'

'The blue or the red mug?'

'The red.'

Ichigo took the blue mug in his hands and sat down with it. It was the morning of their fifth day spent in hiding, in the secluded forest house, as the makeshift calendar Orihime had drawn for them the previous day showed it.

_'We can tick out every day at the end of it, like __the shipwrecked men do... or jailbirds!'_ she had said with spirit, while hanging the thing, decorated generously with flowers and some less easily recognizable designs on the kitchen wall above their dining table. (Ichigo had a vague suspicion some of the doddlings stood for armed robots... but he had long ago learned from experience with Rukia how dangerous it was to point out inconsistencies in other peoples drawings! So he kept quiet about it.)

Orihime arrived into the kitchen, and she sat down too. They started eating their breakfast silently. Their daily routine was starting to form by now. Ichigo started every morning with working out. It took him only half an hour to run around the lake, and do a few exercises after it. There was a convenient tree, with a low hanging branch before the house, that he could use for doing pushups. After the painful experiences of the first time, Orihime knew better than to join him. She made them breakfast instead. (But she couldn't help peeking out the window, to see him, now and then...)

They had agreed, that after eating breakfast, they would always sit down to study. They worked out a strategy on how to keep up with their works. As they only had one set of books, Ichigo's, they looked into separate subjects at the same time each morning, and they had an other study-session in the afternoons, when they reviewed their topics to the other. This had been Ichigo's idea, who liked things in order, and thought this arrangement the best for motivating themselves. They would discuss which subject falls on who, the day before. Thankfully, Ochi-sensei had given them the sheet with the main essay questions for the finals, at the beginning of the year. They could work on those too, later. The first of their joined study-sessions had been a little awkward, but they were getting into it.

After studying, they usually went outside, taking a walk, or just biding the time. Orihime still liked to play on the lake's shore, throwing in pebbles, or just watching. She also found an empty scrapbook inside one of the drawers, and she would climb up to her favorite rock, the one which half hang above the water's surface, wrapping herself inside a thick blanket, trying to draw the scenery. She only wanted to use one page at first, as the scrapbook wasn't hers, but before she knew it, she'd already filled half of it... Ichigo told her not to worry, and promised they would by an other to replace the one she had used, when they would go out shopping.

The same fate met a lot of other things. They didn't have that many drugstore items with them, so they just used what ever they found, from shampoo to toilet paper and cleaning supplies. Orihime had held herself back until the previous evening, but Ichigo had seen the longing looks she was giving the cute little tee-box.

_'We'll have one from here tonight!'_ he had declared.

_'But... Kurosaki-kun...'_

_'Don't worry. We'll replace it, just like everything else.' _

So they were slowly starting to make themselves at home. There were however a few things they didn't touch. To start with: the house had a generous stock on hard drinks... They packed those carefully away, least they should accidentally break one bottle.

Since Orihime found herself a new hobby in drawing, Ichigo also had to occupy himself. He was mostly reading (either from his own books his father had packed, or from the house's stock). And just because there was nothing better to do, he took the guitar and tuned it a few times, to refine those few songs he could still remember. Orihime always smiled, when she heard the soft, slightly hesitant melodies fill the air.

Ichigo had spent the better part of the third day struggling with the TV's aerial, in vain. What ever he tried, he couldn't get to an agreement with it... So watching TV was not an option, only the DVD's, but they only permitted themselves one movie each night, least they should exhaust the stock too quickly. They found a working radio though, and Ichigo could tune it tolerably well to Karakura-station. Orihime squeaked with delight, when she heard the familiar voice of her favorite disc-jockey. Ichigo had never been one to listen to radio before (he preferred to listen to his own music, not random stuff), so Orihime took it upon herself to introduce him to the world of it.

_'The news are at 7, and on Tuesdays, they have a "Laugh Hour", almost as good as the one on TV! I like this disc-jockey so much! He is so funny! When we were smaller, we made a lot of requests in his show with Tatsuki... and we sometimes sent each other songs.' _

The afternoons proved long, even with the studying they did. Since it was so late in the year, the sky started to become dark early, and they had to keep to the house. Orihime would make them dinner. First, she tried to keep it as "normal" as she could, but the more pent-up and bored she felt, the more weird her concoctions would get. And since they already started using the tee-box, she felt entitled to research a little with all the spices and some other things hidden inside the cupboards. It couldn't hurt to use one little drop of this, or half a teaspoon of that, could it? Besides, the spices didn't look like they had been used that frequently, and their expiration date told her, that they would have to be discarded soon anyway.

_'Mmm... Inoue? What is this stuff in the rice?'_ Ichigo had asked looking at third night's menu.

_'Dried fruits. Isn't it nice?'_

_'I see. It's color looks... strange.'_ he had tasted it, gingerly. _'But i__t __is__n't bad.__ Yeah... it's quite good, actually.'_

_'Thanks!'_ she had smiled.

On the contrary, the meatballs had looked delicious, but their taste had shocked him. When Orihime had tasted them too, and she had frowned.

_'Ah! Maybe I put too much ginger in them...'_

_'Ginger? Why would you put ginger in a meatball?'_

_'Oh, I don't know? Why wouldn't I? How am I supposed to know if it's nice, if I never try it?' _

Ichigo had sighed.

_'I could have told you in advance that it was not the best idea...'_

Orihime had looked sad, and remorseful.

_'I'm so sorry... Tatsuki-chan's always saying the same thing too...' _then her face had brightened._ 'How about I always ask you in future?' _

Ichigo had frozen in the act of soaking the meatballs in soya-sauce.

_'Ok, I guess.'_

So Orihime now went to him with her ideas every day before starting cooking, presenting him with a hand-written menu, like an employee would ask approval from her boss on the day's work. Today, she already had the night's menu in her hands, and were showing it to him, as they were having their breakfast, which was thankfully normal, even without his preventive supervision.

Ichigo studied her handwriting critically, while Orihime fidgeted on her chair, drinking the wasabi-coffee.

'Hm. The stew sounds great...' he finally said. 'Leave out the banana from it, and it will be fine.'

'Yes sir!' Orihime answered, saluting enthusiastically. 'How about I make fried bananas as desert instead?'

Ichigo's eyes lighted up.

'Yeah! That will be delicious! If it's not too much bother...'

'Of course not!' she laughed. Seeing that light in his eyes again would make any work worth it for her...

'And you better save the chocolate syrup I see you intended for the salad, to go with that!'

Orihime's eyes widened.

'Wow! Great idea! How come I didn't think of that?'

In this fashion, the two of them were getting along nicely. Orihime had learned the very first day how unwise it was to do things she was not comfortable with, just to impress him. But she was continuously holding back on herself in his presence. And not only with her cooking... She reasoned, that since she lived alone, somebody else would sure find some of her customs, or her glitches and shortcomings irritating or confusing. So she tried to behave herself most of the time. Not singing under the douche, trying not to space out on him (like she frequently did with Tatsuki), not screaming with laughter when listening to the Laugh hour on the radio, and not playing out scenes from the movies they watched... (And of course not coming out from the bathroom half naked, but that doesn't even need to be mentioned!) But she was sure she slipped now and then, and whenever that happened, she couldn't help blushing. It also seemed, that her companion bared silence far better then her, not needing every gap in conversation filled with mindless chatter... she tried not to force her company on him too much. But even when she had lived alone, she would just talk to herself, or her brother's portray. Since Kurosaki-kun was now available, she couldn't help addressing him, whenever something came to her mind. He seemed to be putting up with her weirdness good so far, and she was grateful for that.

Little did she know, that Ichigo was facing the same kind of problems. He had almost bitten his own tongue off with the effort of stopping the coming wave of curses the other day, when he accidentally had a go at his own hand with the screwdriver. He was aware of the fact that he had a real foul mouth, and even more foul temper. While it didn't bother him, that almost everyone around him thought him a punk, a thug, or worse, he couldn't help wishing, that Inoue would look at him in a somewhat better light. It had been so easy to keep himself in check in her presence, when they had only met at school, or with their other close friends, but being practically pent-up together made maintaining any kind of facade next to impossible. He could only hope she wouldn't be fed up with his unbearable personality any time soon... But he knew that Inoue was as tolerant and patient as a person could be, so she probably wouldn't even say anything if that was the case. So he tried everything in his power to make himself more pleasant, by cursing only more quietly and less frequently than he was otherwise used to, by trying to not show when he was irritated, and not went his feelings on her (like he sometimes did with Karin and Yuzu), and by not putting his legs on top of the coffee-table while watching the nights movie...

Orihime was still spending the nights next to Ichigo, on the couch. She had tried to go upstairs once, on the third night, but when Ichigo woke next morning, she had been there beside him again. Neither of them said a word about it, and when bedtime arrived they would just make their beds silently, and after Orihime did the night's praying before his brother's shrine, they climbed inside, facing away from each other, murmuring only quiet "Good night!"-s. Ichigo guessed he would know when Inoue was over her trauma that her kidnap and the yakuzza's threats caused, when she would be able to sleep on her own again... He was only concerned that he might disturb her sleep: he was a shallow sleeper, waking now and then, and turning about a lot. He supposed this had something to do with the fact that he had gotten used to being waken in the middle of the night, because of his soul reaper duties. He only hoped he wasn't snoring... that would be... just unbearable! He remembered how he couldn't get to sleep because of Keigo's irritating snoring that time they had been here with Mizuiro, Keigo and Chad... Nobody has ever told him that he was snoring, but still...

This day passed much the same as the previous ones, except that it was raining, and they couldn't go outside at all. They listened to the radio almost all day, and just because she was so bored, Orihime did a huge cleaning up in the kitchen, washing every surface spotlessly clean. Ichigo was adding more wood to the fire in the fireplace, when he heard her exclaim.

'Kurosaki-kun! Look what I found!'

He went to her, and saw her standing on top of a chair, with the sponge still in her hand, and taking a box down from the top of the cupboard. She wiped the dust from it, revealing black and white squares.

'A chessboard?' Ichigo asked.

'Yes! Isn't it great?'

Ichigo frowned.

'I take it then, you can play chess.'

Orihime looked at him surprised.

'You can't?'

'Yes, I can... a little. My father used to teach me, but he had the annoying habit of punching my head whenever I lost to him. So, I lost enthusiasm quickly!'

Orihime giggled.

'Will you play with me?'

He smiled.

'Of course!'

They went to the living room, and placed their new acquisition on the little table. Orihime opened it... excitement was simply overflowing from her features.

'How pretty... real wooden figures! We only had plastic...'

'Which one you'll be? White or black?' Ichigo asked.

'White!' Orihime declared happily.

They started to arrange the figures on the board.

'All right. I still remember, that white always makes the first move.' Ichigo said, when every figure was in place.

'That's right... just give me an other minute!' she answered, then squeezed her eyes shut tightly, like she was concentrating on something. Ichigo watched her, a little dumbfounded. Finally Orihime smiled, and opened her eyes again, looking down on the board fondly.

'All right...' she began. 'I'm decided. I'll be the evil Ice Queen! My hair is blue and my eyes are green, and my heart frozen! My pawns are poor servants whom I turned to stone with my magic staff, and they are now forced to fight in my army for me... I have a sword too, and any limb I cut with it, will freeze over instantly! I want to conquer this land, and bring it eternal winter!... Who will you be?'

Ichigo blinked a few times, rapidly. Not only he had serious problems with picturing Inoue blue haired and green eyed, but she had spoken of "cutting limbs" and that just didn't seem to fit anyway... and when taking all this away, he didn't know how her little story could be connected with chess at all!

'Say again?'

'Who's your character? Who will you play with?'

'Inoue... this is chess. There are no characters, just white and black pieces!'

Now it was Orihime's turn, to blink with surprise.

'No characters? But how do you play then?'

Ichigo sighed tiredly.

'Well, there are the rules. You know, for how each piece moves...'

Orihime's eyes brightened again.

'Yeah, I know that, but you'd still need a story!'

'Why?'

'Didn't Isshin-san tell you about the stories? But that's the key part! It would be so boring without it! Pieces just moving dully across a checky board!'

'But that's what chess is!' Ichigo said a little louder than before, desperation evident in his tone.

'No, it's not!' she pouted, like a sulking little child. 'Sora-nii taught me, and I played with Tatsuki-chan, ask her about it!'

Ichigo scowled.

'It doesn't matter.' he said in an irritated voice. 'I'm sure I can't make up any story... so you'd better drop it!'

When he looked up, he saw the disappointed, slightly hurt expression on her face... She was averting her eyes. Silence settled between them, and it was uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable...

'I mean...' Ichigo tried to rephrase. 'I was never good with this kind of stuff... Never been able to write a decent essay, because of lack of inspiration. I just don't have the imagination!'

Orihime still looked kind of sad, so he added.

'Hey... you can make up any story you want... you can make up a story for me too, if that's ok... I'll just play.'

He felt really bad... Were they having a real row now? It felt like it, and he didn't like it. Orihime finally smiled, but it was strained, and he looked into her eyes deeply concerned.

'Ok...' Orihime finally said. 'How about you'll just be a soul reaper, fighting for justice? The color black fits anyway... I guess you'll be comfortable with that.'

'Ok, and I have to conquer the evil Ice Queen?' he asked, trying to get her back into the mood.

Luckily it worked... Her smile became more warm.

'Yes.'

Within ten minutes, Orihime was so into the game, that she seemed to forgot about all unease. But it took longer for Ichigo... He just went along with what ever she wanted (in any other circumstance he would surely have pointed out how Chess didn't have any rule, that replaced a previously taken figure on the board, and that there was no such thing as "measure of life force" when it came to pawns battles...). She rumbled happily on, giving a back-story for each piece. She even became a little affected when one of her knights took one of Ichigo's pawns, the very same one of witch she had declared earlier to have joined Ichigo's army in order to avenge his dead wife.

Ichigo was reminded of the time she had told him that story of the three musketeers in the car, on the way here. But right now, he wasn't enjoying it that much. Because all the while, the back of his mind was occupied with solving the mystery of why did their little argument bother him so much...

'Yey! Kurosaki-kun! You win! Check, Mate!'

'I... I did?'

'Of course! Couldn't let the Ice Queen conquer! The good always wins. That makes a good story!'

'Right... Well, I'm just glad it makes you happy.'

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: I must say I'm not 100% happy with this chapter... But I wanted to speed things along a little. I hope the flashbacks weren't too confusing. As always: I'm asking you to review! _


	8. Awkwardity

_A/N: I know you've waited for this chapter impatiently, and it's not even that long. I'm sorry for that. But be contented: I wrote this chapter together with the next one, just though it better to post them separately, in two smaller chaps. (I have my reasons.) So you can expect an other update coming up shortly..._

_Chapter 8 _

Awkwardity

The rain hadn't stopped all night. It only got worse. They had gone to sleep with the sounds of raindrops constantly hitting the window panels, and a fierce wind howling in the chimney. The temperature had also dropped. They had put much wood on the fire, but still left a layer of sweater on top of their pajamas.

Ichigo was the one to wake first in the morning, and he crept to the window as noiselessly as he could, to be able to look out. He almost growled. The sky was still stormy dark grey, with no promise of clearing. He couldn't go working out today either. He let the curtain fall back, feeling highly disappointed. He wanted to go to the kitchen, but when he passed the couch, something made him stop. He could hear the soft, steady huffs of Orihime's breathing. He looked down.

The girl was laying on her side, sleeping soundly. The pile of blankets over her were pulled up high, covering even her ear, with only her rich locks of hair escaping from under it, here and there. Ichigo crouched down, to be able to look closer. He could see the corner of a small pillow sticking out from the embrace of her arms. Her eyes were closed, and her features relaxed, but there were a faint traces of white, leading down on her cheeks, from her eyes. Long dried tracks of tears...

She had been crying again.

Ichigo's hands balled up into fists. He felt so helpless... He wished he could do something to help her. He had even told her once that she could wake him any time, but Inoue just never did. He failed to understand why. She seemed to need his physical closeness, choosing to sleep next to him, but she wouldn't let him help. Somehow this made him sad... and a little angry. It seemed she didn't trust him. He felt rejected, just like that time, when she had pushed him away.

He sighed heavily, wanting to go, but he spotted a stray lock of hair falling across her nose. He reached out, involuntarily, wanting to pull it back to place, but stopped his hand at the last second. He had almost forgotten for a moment, that he was not allowed to touch her, unless there was some invitation from her. At least that's what he kept telling himself, ever since their incident the first day. Not that he was a guy, who continuously touched, hugged, or even neared his friends physically, but the fact that he had to keep himself in check around her in this field, made the issue of touches more pronounced in his mind. It was annoying really: he figured, that he wouldn't have initiated more touch with Inoue than he did now anyway, but as a result of his cautiousness, every occurring touch was charged with confusing feelings, which he didn't like, and had no desire at the moment to really figure out.

He was still kneeling there before her, lost in his thoughts, when suddenly Orihime stirred. Panic shoot through him, like a bolt of lightning. He scrambled to his feet, and rushed into the kitchen as fast as he could, hearing his own heartbeat drum inside his ears. He just couldn't bare it if Inoue caught him gawk at her asleep... He wasn't even doing that! He was just... just... oh, never mind! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Just what was he thinking anyway?

When Orihime came searching for him two minutes later, blinking away the tiredness from her eyes, she noticed that his cheeks were brighter than normal, and that he wouldn't meet her eyes as he answered her morning greeting. She was a little confused, but after asking whether he was all right, and him answering in the affirmative, she didn't know how to ask further, so she just let it go...

oOoOoOoOo

A little later Ichigo went to bring in new wood for the fire, but he rushed back inside as fast as he could, shaking the water out from his still ridiculously black locks.

'Man! What a crazy weather! Couldn't even see as far as the lake, the rain is so heavy! And it's freezing! If this keeps up, we'll get the first snow before Christmas!'

Orihime looked at him, with her eyes lighting up.

'Do you really think so?'

'I wouldn't be that trilled about it, Inoue... how many layers of sweaters are you wearing now?'

She giggled.

'Three. And two of socks! Point taken... But even so... the snow is just so beautiful! I love it when everything looks like the heavenly baker used too much icing...'

'The heavenly baker?' Ichigo asked sceptically.

'Yes! The same one who sometimes magics the clouds to resemble muffins and ring-biscuits!... And large, round, cream filled doughnuts...'

Her eyes were lost in the distance, her lips slightly parted, she was simply radiating dreamy wishfulness all around her. Ichigo grinned.

'When you begin to talk like that, that means your hungry!'

Orihime's tummy used that exact moment to give a loud rumble. She blushed, and laughed, being embarrassed.

'What can I say? You really have me figured out, Kurosaki-kun!'

Ichigo was suddenly reminded of the tear traces he had seen on her cheeks earlier, and it brought a sharp pain to his chest again, wishing that figuring her out would be always this easy... He turned away from her to hide his emotions.

'How about I help you with breakfast today?' he asked.

Orihime smiled happily.

'Ok!'

They started walking at the same time, meaning that they bumped into each other in the archway that led to the kitchen. Both of their faces lighted up instantly.

'Sorry!' they said in union.

Orihime tried to pull back, but he was doing that too, so their shoulders just brushed again. They moved about for a few seconds more, unsure about how to solve the situation... Finally Ichigo couldn't take it any more, and grabbed the girl by the shoulders to hold her in place, while he stepped back properly, to allow her to go in before him. She did, walking two steps forward, like a sleepwalker.

She was totally under the effect of their recent close contact... She just loved how strong his hands had felt, and how their touch instantly washed away all insecurity from her. Her imagination was running wild with her for a moment: she imagined them to be on a sunny beach, and him holding her just the same way, before...

'So... what do you want me to do?' Ichigo asked, sounding a little harsh.

'Huh?' she asked, still baffled,

'Breakfast!' he announced impatiently.

She shook her head, thinking that she was lucky if any blood still remained in her legs to support her, because it sure felt like all she had was currently in her head... She looked up, and saw his eyes. There were confusion and fluster in them, the same emotions she too was feeling, but there was also something else. Some unknown strain.

He was scowling.

Orihime knew he had not one, but many kind of scowls. She could usually recognize them easily, from much experience... Each of his scowls he used in order to conceal something. Embarrassment, confusion, hurt. Right now, it was anger... Was Kurosaki-kun angry at her?

It was a possibility. Maybe her shoulder was too hard... she knew her head was, so that wouldn't be a surprise.

'I am sorry, Kurosaki-kun...' she said shyly.

His features relaxed instantly.

'Sorry? For what?'

Orihime became confused again.

'Fo... for bu... bumping into you.' she stuttered.

This time she noticed that Kurosaki-kun have turned away to not let her see his emotions.

'No. For that, I am sorry.'

oOoOoOoOo

After these excitements, the atmosphere between them became a little tense... They hardly spoke to each other all morning. Ichigo studied maths downstairs, while Orihime took the history books upstairs. Ichigo tried to concentrate on the different formulas he was supposed to be using, but found it a more difficult task than usual.

At lunch, they ate their sandwiches sitting at the same table, but facing away from each other, and listening to a really dull program about recycling plastic bags on the radio.

Later, Orihime disappeared into the bathroom, and Ichigo was left to figure out some "amusement" for himself. He decided he would give one more go to that particular maths problem, he had struggled with in vain before. He placed his book, notes and a fresh sheet of paper before himself on the table, and took a pen in hand. In two minutes, he found a new approach, that seemed promising, and was bending over his paper with furrowed brows.

He concentrated so hard, that he didn't notice Orihime appearing behind him, in the archway. She fidgeted a little, then came closer, slowly and tentatively. But even these ominous signs didn't carry through to Ichigo in his occupied state...

'Kurosaki-kun...' she finally addressed him, in the tone of someone desperately trying to sound firm.

'Yes?' he answered, hardly looking up from his notes.

'We need to go shopping.'

It took a moment for Ichigo to really process her request. He was a little confused by it.

'Sure. We've looked over the things we have yesterday, haven't we? We said, we'll need to shop in a few days, but we are good for now... Maybe we could do the thing the day after tomorrow...'

'Let's go today!'

Ichigo's eyes bulged.

'Today? But Inoue! It's raining like Hell!'

'But I want to go!'

'We can't Inoue! We've got to plan everything beforehand, write a complete list, and...'

'Kurosaki-kun! I need to go shopping! Now!'

Her tone was a little commanding, impatient and desperate at the same time. It now started to dawn on Ichigo, that something was not right. He tried wildly to think. Something told him that it would be a mistake to ask her outright about it... he had to figure this out on his own. Just what could it be that she needed so badly, that would make her go out in this crazy weather? As he studied her uneasily dancing eyes, her strained features and stiff posture, it suddenly clicked in. He mentally patted his own shoulders: he was really getting better at this... and he thanked his lucky stars that he had two sisters, otherwise he would never have guessed what was going on now.

'Uh... ok...' he said slowly, giving himself some more time to think. 'Of course we can go shopping right away... but I think you should let me go alone... I could be back real quick, and... I... um... you know I live with Karin and Yuzu, and I'm used to... er... woman stuff being a part of the grocery list...'

His face was flushed to a nice color by the time he finished. He looked up to meet her eyes, and recoiled instantly. There was a look in Orihime's eyes now, that he had never seen there before... He recognized it anyway: that same look meant shoutings with Karin, no desert with Yuzu, and a serious kick with Rukia... But with Orihime, he just didn't know what to expect. She was an unknown territory in this field... He needed to be careful. He only wanted to be thoughtful and chivalrous, but he had clearly ended up wounding her ego... He wished he could just take everything he had said back... He had so wanted to do things right with her, and up until now, he seemed to be doing ok. But now he messed up!

In addiction to the murderous look she was still having on, Orihime placed a hand to her to her hip, and narrowed her eyes.

'Oh really? And how do you plan to solve my other problem is anybodies guess.'

'Other problem?' Ichigo repeated weakly.

'Yes.' she answered acidly. 'For Tatsuki-chan didn't pack me even a single bra, and for some reason neither did Ishida-kun or Sado-kun! So I only have the one I'm wearing right now! Or are you up to buying lingerie for me too?'

Ichigo could have sworn his face was burning... He didn't even dare look at her any more. But suddenly Orihime was laughing. It just burst out of her tinkling and rolling, carefree and honest, reverberating in the room. Ichigo felt shock at first, but he also felt relief. Looked like the mess-up wasn't that big after all, thankfully... And there was something about her laughter, something that made it irresistible. His mouth curved upwards into a smile, ever broadening, until he too was laughing. They ended up both rolling around with uncontrollable laughter, wiping away tears from their eyes. Because really... when taking away the embarrassment, their current situation could indeed be regarded humorous. And it was so relieving to be free of all the previous strain...

'I'm really sorry, Kurosaki-kun!' Orihime said, clutching her side, still amidst giggles. 'It was so unfair of me to treat you like this! Blame it on the stupid hormones... You know it's not you I was angry at, but at this silly situation!'

'Yeah! I understand...'

'So... would you please take me shopping, even though it's raining?'

Ichigo grinned.

'As long as I don't have to go anywhere near the lingerie section...'

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: Please review, and keep your eyes peeled for the next update!_


	9. Shopping

_A/N: Corrected typos in chapter. Thanks, "nypsy"!_

_Chapter 9_

Shopping

Both of them were in high spirits as the car rolled with them to the outskirts of a nearby little settlement. They were just glad of the change of scene, and the chance to be amongst people again. Even Ichigo had to admit that right now, shopping didn't seem that dull a task as it usually did. He knew where the shopping center was. He was glad he didn't have to drive right inside the village: running into cops was not the wisest thing for them right now, with him not having a license. But they had to risk it.

When he managed to park the car, they went inside the large, flat building, that lacked every kind of architectural creativity: it looked very much like a huge, ugly box. There was a big supermarket inside, and a few smaller shops before it, in a row. Ichigo gave Orihime some money, and he waited for her on a bench. It didn't take her more than ten minutes to get what she needed most, and take a swift detour to the bathroom. When she returned, she looked happy, content and relieved. She sat next to him and they started to write a list of what they would buy. Orihime made it a point, that since they didn't have all the money in the world, they couldn't get sidetracked...

'Remember: we must stick to the list!' she declared sternly for the third time already, while they pushed a trolly through the entrance. She was anxious about this, because she was aware of the fact that she was really bad with shopping. Especially with shopping for food... When she saw something she wanted, she felt like she got to have it immediately! She had had to exercise a lot of self-control when she had lived alone. She had always taken just as much money with herself as she would need, to minimize the temptation, but even then she would frequently end up buying a pineapple instead of milk, and red been paste instead of rice. She now wondered vaguely whether this habit of hers was the real origin of her experiments in the kitchen...

But right now, she lived with Kurosaki-kun, so she had to think about him too, and couldn't afford to go haywire... And who knows how long they had to stay here, it's best if they are as careful with their money as they can be. She deliberately kept her nose buried deeply in the list as they went down the corridors.

It amused Ichigo to see her forced efforts of acting serious and strict. It only lasted as long as they reached the stand featuring pastries. She took a deep whiff of the delicious smells in the air, and it was enough to make her look up from the paper. Her legs moved automatically, following the scent-trail, coming face to face with a large tray of...

Ichigo grinned.

'They're not on the list.' he noted calmly.

Orihime gave a soft suffering moan.

'It's just not fair...'

'Sorry! That's what we agreed to.'

'But... what if we just left it out... I mean, that kind of thing happens...'

Orihime looked to his strict features pleadingly, but it did no good. He wasn't softened by it.

'We can only put things in the trolly that are on the list. That's what you said.'

'But... but... the little blue men! They must have erased it, Kurosaki-kun! That's the only possible explanation! I'm so sure it was on the list...'

'Give me that list!' Ichigo commanded. 'I'll check it for you again!'

Orihime gave it to him, feeling down, and keeping her eyes on the ground.

'Ah, you were right! Here it is!' Ichigo declared. '6 delicious doughnuts, 3 for each of us!'

Orihime quickly snatched the paper back, with bulging eyes, and sure enough, at the bottom of the list, there was a new note, saying "6 doughnuts" quite clearly. She looked up at Ichigo, who was putting away the pen, with a playful grin.

'That's cheating, you know!' Orihime whispered, taken aback.

He leaned closer, and also whispered: 'What? Gonna complain?'

Orihime quickly shook her head, and started choosing the biggest, fattest doughnuts from the tray happily.

Having finished with the food, they separated again, with Orihime heading for the clothes section, and Ichigo taking a look at the shop's supply of books and DVDs. He also searched out the thickest quilts the shop had to offer, and put two inside the trolly. It was beyond doubt that they needed those badly.

They met at the pay-desk. There was not much of a queue, luckily. Ichigo payed, and they went back to the same bench they had been sitting on earlier. Orihime was simply bouncing from excitement, and as soon as they reached their goal, she dived for the bag containing the doughnuts. But Ichigo was faster, and snatched it away from her, lifting it high above his head, laughing.

'Muu! Give me one, Kurosaki-kun, please!'

He grinned.

'Make me!'

She pouted.

'That's not fair!'

She stood on her tiptoes, reaching up, but it was a vain attempt: he was way taller. He even swung the bag from the left to the right, laughing some more at how her eyes followed it longingly. She grabbed his elbow, trying to pull his arm down, laughing herself. She finally started jumping.

'All right, all right!' Ichigo said. 'You can have them, but under one condition: I want that big chocolate one! There was only one of that!' he added, teasingly.

'Ok, you can have it... I like all of them!' Orihime said quickly.

They sat down on the bench, and started eating their share.

'Mmm... delicious!' Orihime moaned. 'How's yours?'

'Unwordly... Look! Chocolate inside-out!' Ichigo said.

The girl's eyes were sparkling as she looked at his doughnut, and she just looked... looked...

Ichigo grinned smugly. He knew how it would be.

'Want a bite?'

Orihime started nodding slowly, unconsciously, not taking her eyes of the object of her desires. She leaned forward, and took a satisfyingly big bite. Ichigo began laughing again, then gave the chocolate doughnut to her altogether.

'You know... I think I might have found myself a new hobby! Teasing you is so much fun!'

Orihime's supposed to be glare, that she sent his way, wasn't even close to frightening, with her mouth full of chocolate.

'Would you look at that, Ka-san! What a cute little newlywed couple!' a raspy voice said from next to them.

Both teens froze. An elderly pair was walking slowly to the bench next to theirs, bringing many-many bags, full of their purchases.

'They sure are... must be on their honeymoon!' the woman said, a warm smile shining on her wrinkled face. She had piercing blue eyes, that nonetheless held kindness in them.

'I guess you're right!' her spouse declared, smoothing his long white mustache, and winking up rather mischievously at the baffled Ichigo. 'For that's the only reason anybody ever comes to our little village at this time of year! The weather is only fine for one thing: cuddling!'

The old man laughed at his own joke merrily.

'Ah, now just look what you have done... you insensitive old man! You embarrassed the poor things!' the woman patted Ichigo's burning cheek affectionately. 'Sorry about that. He's always like this!' she said, but smiled at her husband all the same.

'Do you stay at one of the houses around the lake? I know of no-one new staying inside the village!' the man inquired.

Ichigo was feeling uncomfortable and a little nervous, but he thought it better to answer the question.

'Ah, yes...'

'How lovely! The sight there is one of the most wonderful I've ever seen in my entire life! Don't you agree, my dears?' the woman asked, with misty eyes.

'Yes!' Orihime replied earnestly. 'I... er... we love it very much!'

'But I bet not as much as each other!' the old man joked again.

'Behave yourself!' the wife hit his knee a little, then turned to the teens again. 'We've been married for 52 years now, you know... 52!' she told them confidently. 'Quite a period, I must say... but still, I just can't discipline him properly!'

Orihime started to giggle. She actually took a liking to the slightly weird, funny little couple.

'And I can tell that you've chosen a fine specimen of your own, my dear!' the woman said, addressing Orihime, but keeping her keen eyes on Ichigo, who fidgeted nervously. 'Tight jaws, hard eyes... and a scowl! Headstrong, that one!'

Orihime giggled harder than ever, but the description didn't end here.

'But I can see how he simply softens when he looks at you... The caring light is there! Don't you just feel safe, when you're with him?'

Ichigo was looking down, ready to sink under the floor... but Orihime smiled shyly.

'I sure do.' she quietly agreed.

The woman sighed contently, then turned to her husband again.

'Well, come on! Let's go... We've intruded upon them long enough! And Heaven knows how we'll get to the car with all this baggage! I swear the wind almost blew me away, when coming inside!'

Orihime stood up.

'We'll help!'

'Oh, darling, you are so sweet! But it really isn't necessary! I was just complaining... you know... old age, bad habits!' the woman laughed.

The old couple started picking up their bags one by one.

'Are you sure?' Ichigo asked, also standing up.

'Sure.' the man answered. 'You'd better give all your attention to your Lady on your honeymoon, after all!' He held Ichigo's elbow, and pulled him to the side, and said in an impressive stage whisper that carried through to the others quite audibly: 'Here's a piece of advice, young man! If you want your marriage to last as long as mine, don't waste any opportunity.' The tone of his voice was still joking, but his eyes were softer than before, looking at his wife. He released Ichigo, and stepped up to her, taking two bags out of her hands. Then he gave her a kiss to the cheek. She smiled at him in return. 'You've got to show her every day how much you love and cherish her!'

Ichigo was taken aback, but the man was looking at him expectantly, so he said:

'Um... Thanks. I'll be sure to remember that.'

oOoOoOoOo

They were sitting inside the car, on the way home, still under the influence of their discussion with the elderly couple. They both kept throwing each other embarrassed looks, afraid that the other was mad. Finally Ichigo voiced his concern.

'Ah... Inoue! I'm sorry! I just... I though it unwise to correct them. About us being married. You know... Awkward questions. I just didn't want to draw even more attention to us. I hope you didn't mind!'

Orihime smiled.

'Not at all. I'm sure Kurosaki-kun will be a great husband... I mean somebody's husband... I...'

At that moment, Ichigo stepped on the breaks hard, and Orihime fell forward, the seat-belt cutting sharply into her shoulder.

'Oi! You stupid stray dog!' Ichigo shouted. 'Jump before somebody else's car, will you?' he fumed, as the black shadow crept away from before their car's front, whining. 'Fhew! That was close! Sorry, Inoue, I promise to be more careful in the future!'

Orihime sighed, feeling relieved: she had almost said something highly embarrassing...

They arrived back at their little house without further adventures. When they have packed all their bags out, Orihime made tea. She brought their two mugs inside the living room, and she sank down into one of the armchairs tiredly. She didn't know where Ichigo could be, she had already called him once.

When he arrived, he didn't sit down, as she expected him to, but stood before her, presenting a little gift-bag, decorated with leaf patterns. Her eyes widened.

'For me?'

He nodded.

'But... but...!'

'No buts!'

'But I didn't get you anything!'

'You didn't have to. This is just something you're in need of.'

'But...'

'And besides, I'm sort of your fake husband for the day, or something like that...' he said, scowling to achieve the desired nonchalant air.

Orihime forgot how to breath. Her head was spinning. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. All her protests were forgotten. She looked down, and her trembling fingers reached inside the gift-bag, closing around a smooth, hard surface. She pulled out a simple wooden picture frame.

'For your brother's shrine. I can't stand how depressing it looks, in it's current half burned state.' Ichigo said simply.

Orihime looked up, and he could see the tears of happiness and gratitude in her eyes.

'Thank you...' she said, standing up. 'A wife can kiss her husband, right?' she asked, and her body as well as her voice was trembling. She stood on tiptoes, and placed a light kiss on his cheek. She brushed the tears away from her eyes, and smiled up at him.

Ichigo smiled back. He watched as Orihime went to the fireplace, and took Sora's picture down. It took only a minute to re-frame it, and she put the now perfect shrine back in it's place, smiling.

'You were right. He looks so much happier! Thanks, again!'

'You're welcome...' he said, and added in his thoughts: _'I sure hope it helps... I didn't know what else I could do for you... How to let you know, that you needed to start mending things on the inside too.'_

Orihime looked at him briefly, but turned away.

'I... I promise to make you a real delicious dinner tonight!'

She almost ran to the kitchen, searching her pockets for a handkerchief on the way, and blowing her nose noisily. Ichigo watched her go with a rare gentle smile on his face. Inside his heart there was a foreign but highly contenting feeling of peace...

…...

_A/N: Everyone wrote to the last one how cute it was... (Thanks, by the way, we made it to 60 reviews! I'm so happy!) Now I really wonder what you will say about this! I felt that things got a little out of hand, and the chapter just ran away with me! I'm desperately trying to keep them in character, you see..._

_Review, please!_


	10. True colors II

_A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews everyone! Since I treated you to nice doses of flufflyness in the last 2 chapters, I guess now you can be a little patient, and deal with the angst of this one fine. Remember: there is no development without a little drama! :-) _

_Chapter 10_

True colors II.

Ichigo woke up in the middle of the night. He blinked, but saw only darkness. Then he heard the sound again, that had waken him from sleep. It was a low, painful moan. He froze under his quilt. Only when he heard it a third time, a little louder than before, did he sit up slowly. He turned to the couch, and tried to make out Inoue's silhouette through the shadows.

'Inoue?' he asked tentatively.

There was no answer, and when he leaned closer, he saw that the girl was asleep. A bad dream must trouble her... Ichigo didn't know what to do. He began to lay back slowly on his mattress: he couldn't fight dreams... But then Orihime started tossing and turning on the couch, and moaning with new intensity. Ichigo hesitated for a second, then decided to try and wake her.

'Inoue! Hey! Inoue!' he called louder.

That didn't do any good. Her tossing only got worse, and her moans were resembling sobs now. Ichigo moved even closer, and started to shake her gently.

'Inoue!'

Suddenly Orihime startled, and she accidentally slid down the couch's edge, landing practically in Ichigo's lap. He hissed in pain.

'Kurosaki-kun?' she asked, confused from suddenly being pulled back to reality.

'Oww... didn't expect this, to be sure...' Ichigo growled.

'Sorry...' Orihime said remorsefully, trying to stand up, and remove herself from his personal space. But strong hands held her back.

'Never mind that now... You were having a bad dream, weren't you?' Ichigo inquired.

Orihime froze. Images of her most recent nightmare washed through her. Flames, screams, iron bars... She shuddered. Ichigo waited, but she remained silent.

'Inoue... please tell me!' he pleaded.

She forced a shaky laugh.

'It... it wasn't that bad. It was really nothing!'

She felt his fingers twitch on her shoulder. It was too dark for seeing his expressions clearly.

'Don't lie to me. You think I didn't notice? Or that I didn't care? I know you're having difficulty sleeping. I know you cry at nights...' the anger in his voice was almost touchable.

She started to squirm nervously in the cage of his arms.

'I... I...'

'Why don't you let me help? I want to help!'

Orihime took a large breath.

'It's... difficult for me...' she admitted shyly.

'My father always tells me, that it helps to talk about things... to not to keep them bottled up inside. And he is a doctor, so I guess he must know what he's talking about. Please... What kind of dream was it? Tell me all about it! I'll be patient.' Ichigo said kindly.

Orihime sighed. She gently pushed his hands back, and he let her go this time. She sat up on the edge of the couch. She looked down to the floor, then raised her eyes to him. She opened her mouth, but then closed it back, looking down again. She repeated this a few times, clearly struggling to find the right words, but failing. Finally she shook her head.

'I'm so sorry... I just can't.'

Even in the darkness, she could see his disappointment. The feel of his spiritual pressure also shifted heavier...

Orihime bit her lip to hold back the tears.

'I'm so sorry! I'm not saying that I would never talk about it, just that right now... I'm not ready...'

'Ok...' Ichigo said. In his tone, she could still hear his disapproval and his hurt. He continued looking at her for a few seconds more, then he suddenly turned away from her, putting his head back to his pillow, and searching for his quilt. The abruptness of his retreat caught Orihime unprepared. For some reason, she suddenly felt a fierce wave of fear, and those naughty tears forced their way out of her eyes.

'Kurosaki-kun...' she called.

He stopped his fidgeting, looking back at her, but remaining silent. His eyes were hard.

'Please don't be mad at me!' Orihime said, crying.

Ichigo sighed. He had never felt this frustrated before in his entire life! It felt like Inoue was simultaneously keeping him close and pushing him away! He didn't like the vulnerable feeling this evoked in him... not at all! He was not used to feeling vulnerable!

He closed his eyes, and with an effort, he managed to push his anger back.

'I'm not mad, Inoue.' It was a lie to be sure, but a pious lie.

The silence in the room was uncomfortable. Finally Orihime asked.

'Is it still today?'

Ichigo became confused.

'Today? Oh, I don't know... I can check... Why?'

'You said you were my fake-husband for the day...'

At her words, Ichigo's stomach did a quick somersault. Alarm-bells were ringing in his ears, as nervousness surged under his skin. Sure, he had said that, but it was only supposed to be an innocent joke! But right now, the implications of her words were enough to make him feel sick. He swallowed hard.

'What do you want me to do exactly?' he asked, feeling mortified at how bad that sounded.

Orihime blushed heavily, though the darkness concealed that effectively. She already regretted saying what she did, and knew she wouldn't have the courage to ask for what she originally wanted. She had been thinking about that time, when she had been exhausted after the battle with Kouno, and he let her go to sleep in his arms... She longed for the feeling of safeness his hold had brought her then. But she realized that even though they got closer to each other in this past week, they were not in such a relationship, that she could just ask for something like this. Suddenly she felt very lonely and sad, and the knowledge that she really had no right to feel this way made it even worse.

He was waiting for her answer, so she had to say something. With a huge effort, she collected herself. A new though came to her mind.

'Could you please just hold my hand?' she said, flinching at her own words. Even this request sounded too bold.

Ichigo felt like a huge boulder had rolled of his chest. He was much-much relieved! Of course Inoue was thinking only of that! He had been stupid thinking otherwise. He smiled. He could do this for her, gladly. Any friend could do that much.

'Of course.' he said.

The sincere gentleness in his voice made Orihime feel better instantly. Ichigo stood up, and pulled his mattress right next to the couch, and sat there, taking Orihime's shyly offered hand into his. He arranged himself comfortably, placing his chin on the couch's edge.

'I'll hold you till you go to sleep.'

oOoOoOoOo

'Is it still raining?'

Orihime turned back from the window, to see Ichigo standing behind her. Their eyes met, and she blushed.

'No. It stopped. But now there is a heavy fog.' she answered quietly, then added shyly: 'Good morning!'

'Good morning.' he greeted back. 'Did you sleep all right? I mean after... ' his voice way just as awkward as hers, and he didn't finish the sentence.

'Yeah... I did.' she answerd, fidgeting nervously.

'Well... I don't mind the fog. I'm going for my workout!' he declared.

But Orihime hardly started preparing the breakfast for them, when he returned, looking grumpy and frustrated.

'What happened?' Orihime asked, concerned.

'The fu... I mean the rain have made this whole shi... er... damn forest around us a muddy marsh! I nearly lost my trainers in one of the puddles!' he said, stopping twice in one sentence to edit his cursing on the way. 'Looks like no exercise for me today either!'

'Oh, I'm so sorry! You must miss it!'

'I do.' he said, sighing heavily, while sitting down to the floor, and removing his soaked socks. When he looked up, he saw Inoue standing right over him, looking down with a strange expression. When she realized he caught her staring, she just smiled bashfully, and quickly ran off to the kitchen.

All throughout the day, there was a new awkwardity around them. When ever they looked at each other, one of them would start blushing, making the other uncomfortable too. Ichigo dealt with this tension by deliberately being grumpy, and blaming it on the weather, and on being pent-up. He complained about it at least three times. When they weren't studying, he would start walking to and for in the room restlessly, and he even went out to the porch a few times, just to at least feel the fresh air.

He leaned to the railings, trying to see through the creamy white fog, and thinking... He was still frustrated and angry, that Inoue wouldn't let him help with her troubles. Yes, he was angry, but that anger originated from his worry about her.

He had held her hand, until she had fallen asleep. He had watched her closed eyes, her slightly parted lips, and steadily rising and falling chest for almost an hour. That hour had been full of conflicting, unravelable feelings... At the end of it, he was sure about one thing: he had to watch out for himself. No matter what he felt, they were in a delicate situation, forced at them by circumstances beyond their control, and he couldn't afford to make any mistake. He must always think first about her protection. He hadn't made that vow to Ishida for nothing, after all! He had known what he was doing... And if he had to repress his feelings (anger or other things, things he was refusing to even name) in order to be able to protect her properly, he will do it...

Orihime was also thinking about him a lot. She felt bad about asking such a thing from Kurosaki-kun, about asking him to hold her hand. She knew she'd been selfish. Very much so. But it had felt so nice. So comforting. So right. When ever she thought about how gentle his touch, how caressing the tone of his voice had been, her heart started beating painfully, and a new, tremulous feeling was being born inside her chest: hope. She had never dared hope before... Kurosaki-kun had always seemed so unreachable. At least for her. But now... she didn't know. Maybe she was just deceiving herself, and their present closeness was just the result of being forced together. She had to be careful... if she gets her hopes up now, she's most likely to break, when they would prove wrong.

In the afternoon, they played an other round of chess. Orihime's imagination magicked their board to be the sky this time: she was the Sun King's daughter, and Ichigo the Moon prince, and they fought for the dominance of day or night.

Since it was Tuesday, Orihime was looking forward to listen to laugh hour on the radio. She turned it on a little early in her eagerness, so they caught the short news summary that was before it. They only listened to it half heartedly, Orihime drawing in her scrapbook, and Ichigo trying to build a tower out of the chess-pieces, that were still spread out on the table. They both looked up though, when a familiar name was mentioned.

_'...in Karakura town. The following explosion shook the Main Bridge, and one building half collapsed. According to our information, the authorities are still trying to ascertain the number of victims.' _

Ichigo and Orihime looked at each other horrified. Ichigo's tower collapsed, and the chess-pieces rolled away on the carpet bellow. Orihime's heart was squeezed with fear. She though of Tatsuki, of Sado-kun, and Ishida-kun, and of all her school friends. She was pulled out of her worry-laced thoughts by the feel of dark an heavy spiritual pressure. She looked at Ichigo, and shuddered slightly. He was standing up, his hands balled into tight fists, and his breathing heavily... His eyes simply burned..

Orihime realized, that while she was scared for her friends at home, what Ichigo felt must be even more than that. He looked next to murderous.

'Ku... Kurosaki-kun?'

'Fuck!' he sweared. Then after a hard breath, added: 'Shit!'

'Kurosaki-kun!' Orihime tried again, but he cut across her, with an unexpected outburst.

'Yeah! Gas-explosion my ass! I know what this must really be about!' he cried. He looked down to the poor pawn he was still holding inside his balled up fist. He tossed it away, with an angry cry.

'You don't mean...'

'A hollow attack. And huge! It must be! I'm sure of it! How many times we've seen Urahara hide the trails that way, Inoue!'

'Oh, I don't know...' she tried to think it over quickly.

'But I do! I'm sure of it!'

'But... you have no proof... I mean, I understand why you would think that...'

But he didn't seem to hear her.

'I come away for a mere week, and the God-damn town is already in ruins! Fucking irritating!' Orihime didn't even dare to speak now, so he just continued his rant. 'There were causalities! Did you hear that! People died!' he clutched his head, like he were in pain. 'Could be anyone... Ah! And I... I...'

Orihime's heart ached for him so much, that she though it would brake. She was thinking about his family, the family he was forced to leave behind, because of her...

'I'm worried too, but...' she tried to say, going beside him, putting her hand to his arm. But he stepped away, shrugging her touch off. His expression was wild and angry.

'I should have been there!' he spat angrily.

Orihime froze. His words were like an icy blade to her heart. She couldn't move. She was broken. He was telling her, what she had feared all along...

Without one more word, Ichigo stormed out to the porch, not even putting his jacket on. A few seconds later, Orihime felt his spiritual pressure spike. The familiar feeling, that had only brought her relief before, now terrified her. She didn't even think she was capable of feeling terror in her current numb state, but she did. He had changed into his soul reaper form, already flying away on the sky... leaving her behind.

oOoOoOoOo

It took half an hour of reckless flying over the treetops, and felling a few tree in anger with Zangetsu, until he managed to calm down. After that, it took another half till he was able to come to terms with his own crazy behavior, and get over his guilt and shame. He knew he had behaved unacceptably, but he also knew he would have to face Inoue eventually.

So it was with a heavy heart, and much apprehension that he finally slouched back. The first shock he had to deal with was, that he didn't find his body where he had left it, on the porch. He had no choice left, but to go and search inside.

He opened the door slowly and quietly. Darkness greeted him inside. Only the TV was on, and it's screen gave off some light, and also filled the room with sound. He saw that Inoue was sitting curled up in one of the armchairs (the one nearest to the fire). She didn't turn to greet him. Ichigo sighed quietly. His lookouts seemed dark indeed...

He took a tentative step, and almost fell over something. It was his own body. She must have hauled it inside somehow (he figured it's best if he doesn't even try to picture the scenario), and then, she just left it laying there... As a small comfort, she had dropped a blanket over him, but he couldn't help wondering whether she only did that to hide him from view, so that she wouldn't even have to look at him... Oh, he was in deep shit all right!

But when he entered his body silently, he found that he had to be glad that she had thought about doing as much for him, because even inside the house, and with the blanket on top, his body was chilled, and he shivered when being inside it again. He kept the blanket secured around his shoulders, as he slowly approached the couch.

Inoue was watching a film from the Harry Potter series, but he wouldn't be able to tell whether it was the second or the third. She still stubbornly kept her eyes on the screen, while he took his seat. He looked at her, but then thought it safer to avert his eyes, so he studied the variety of things before her on the coffee-table: the TV's remote, a large bar of chocolate (half-eaten), a mug of tea, a box of tissues, and her brother's portray. It's needless to say, that seeing these items only made him feel worse... He knew he needed to apologize, but she seemed so far away, he didn't even know how to address her.

Suddenly Orihime leaned forward, and took the remote in her hand, pausing the film. Ichigo almost jumped out of his skin in alarm, when she turned to him. Her face was hard to read.

'Kurosaki-kun.' she called his name, in a serious voice.

He didn't dare speak, he only looked at her, but even that took an effort.

'Since it's been exactly a week since we arrived here, I took the liberty of sending a note to Urahara-san, as he requested. I also asked him about the accident... I think he should be able to answer something.'

Ichigo's jaw dropped. How come he didn't think of that?

'That's... good! Thanks...'

She didn't smile, or nod, or answer anything. She only held his gaze firmly for a minute.

'I was... worried about you.'

'I'm sorry...'

'You will never-ever do this again to me.' she stated, her voice trembling a little.

Ichigo hung his head, guilt biting into his gut anew.

'I promise.'

Orihime just looked at him, and finally she turned back to the TV, pushing the "play" button.

Ichigo breathed.

_A/N: Don't any of you dare judge poor Ichi too hard! __(-looking daggers at anyone thinking him jerk-) __I tried to write this, so that neither party would actually be at fault, or both of them, depending on your point of view. I hope to make that point more clear in the next ch. And don't worry, this is not the end of this business: the next chapter will have more peace-making, and emotional-issues-dealing conversation..._ _(nypsy, that will make you happy, I guess!)_

_I'm most anxious about how my thought are able to reach you, so please review, and let me know!_


	11. You, Me and Christmas

_A/N: PLEASE READ! It's important! You may notice, that this chapter is marked the 14th, yet the last I posted was only the 10th. That's because I want to give you this Christmas-chapter in time, though it would only follow logically in the plot later. This is my gift to you all! It's a totally fluffy chapter, without any plot-spoilers, so we can just safely skip to it now! Don't worry: my next update will continue things from where I left off! (I considered posting this as a separate story, but then I thought about those 33 members, who added this to their alert list. I hope it's not too confusing like this!)_

_Merry Christmas! I send hugs and kisses to 'nypsy', to 'himelove22', to 'Angelina Cat', to 'DevilTito' and to everyone who reviewed on this story so far! Hope you enjoy!_

oOoOoOoOo

_Chapter 14 _

Celebration

'This one, Kurosaki-kun! I want this one!'

'Ok...' Ichigo answered, approaching her, with a resignful look. His boots left large holes in the ankle-deep snow.

'No! Wait! I've changed my mind! This one's even more cute!' Orihime exclaimed, jumping up and down happily.

Ichigo frowned.

'Fine. Whatever. Just stand back!'

He lifted the axe, only to be interrupted once again.

'But if I look at it from this side... maybe that one was better after all. Oh, no! How can I decide!'

Ichigo counted to three inside his head, before answering.

'Inoue! It doesn't matter to me, just choose already. My hands are freezing!'

'Let's see...' Orihime looked around, surveying the pine-trees around herself critically. 'All right. I made up my mind! That little one is the winner!'

Ichigo sighed relieved, and went to the tree she had pointed out, ready for action. He swung the blade in his hands in a great arch.

'Oh! Oh! Oh!' Orihime suddenly exclaimed, in the voice of extreme agitation.

Ichigo nearly tripped over his own leg, with the effort of stopping the swing, before it reached the pine's trunk.

'What now?'

'I'm sorry... but I've just spotted the the most perfect little tree in all the history of X-masses! Look! So beautiful! It almost begs to be decorated!'

Ichigo looked, but he honestly didn't see any difference between this new tree and the previous twenty. But he reminded himself that this was all in order to make Inoue happy anyway. (He was glad though, that he had drawn a line with heights: he had told her she could only chose a tree that wasn't taller then herself...) If he would have been alone, he wouldn't have bothered having a tree at all. So he gritted his teeth, and moved over to her.

'Are you sure now?' he asked, before swinging.

'Yes.'

'Absolutely?'

She nodded her head happily. 'Cross my heart!'

'All right then...'

oOoOoOoOo

It was a hard job taking the tree home. Ichigo shouldered it, but it proked him everywhere, and it was difficult moving with it in the snow. He even toppled down once, but firmly declined Orihime's help, only told her to navigate, as he hardly saw anything from between the thick needle covered branches. All in all, he was really glad when they arrived back to the house.

But then he had to face another problem...

'Erm... Kurosaki-kun? How will we stand it? We don't have a bracket for it...'

He went behind the house, to the little hovel, in hopes of finding something usable, but after an hour of search, and some near-disastrous tries, he just ended up hanging the poor tree down from one of the rails on the ceiling. He thought it looked absurd, but Inoue seemed to like it...

'Wow! The world's first flying Christmas-tree! So creative!'

'Thanks... I guess.'

He gladly fell down on the couch to rest a little, only watching as Orihime set to work, decorating the tree. She was humming carols to herself merrily, while she tied cords to whatever shiny things she could find in the household. Their tree would certainly be unique, with kitchen silverware, round disks of CDs and light-bulbs hanging down from it's branches. But Orihime also used the gingerbread cookies she had baked a day earlier, and she made long garlands by threading pop-corn... She also found a pack of elegant patterned serviettes, and made cute bows out of it. She hung bananas and apples on the branches, and she folded a star out of paper, to go to the top of the tree. Ichigo had to help putting that one in place.

Finally they stood before their tree, admiring their handiwork.

'Not bad.' Ichigo admitted, grinning. 'Especially considering that we didn't have even one proper decorating item. You did a wonderful job!'

Orihime smiled happily.

'Thanks! You too! Christmas is not all about shining ornaments and trimming... it's the spirit that counts! And you know... this is the first Christmas-tree I've had for years!'

A slight frown was pulling at the corner of Ichigo's mouth.

'Really?'

'Well... yes. Ever since Onii-chan died, I only had some branches in a vase. While I was a kid, it had been him, who brought the tree home. I remember one particular Christmas, when we had a tree so huge, that it wouldn't fit in properly, because of the low ceiling. He always went to buy the tree at the last minute, on the morning of the 24th, because that way the sellers made it cheaper... And that year, only that giant of a tree remained, and the sellers were so glad to be rid of it, that they nearly offered to pay him, if he takes it!' she reminisced, smiling at the memories. She was simply bursting with joy. Since the death of her brother, she had spent every Christmas eve alone, with only his picture for company. This year... it will be different! She was glad, and grateful.

Ichigo looked lost in his thoughts, then finally said:

'My father always makes a fuss about our tree... Yuzu's been telling him for years that we have grown up now, and she wants to help with the decorations, but he never lets her. He says, that surprising the kids with the tree is a parent's job. So on every 24th, he barricades himself in our living room, dressed in a ridiculous Santa outfit, and even though we know better than to bother him, he continuously complains about us peeking...'

Orihime laughed heartily.

Ichigo smiled, but it was a little sad. He couldn't help wondering whether at this very moment, far away in Karakura town, his father was doing the thing he just described. He also wondered whether he remembered to put the usual mistletoe above the large portray of his wife, which would always piss of all three of his children... Yuzu must be preparing the turkey, with wonderful smells rising from the kitchen... and Karin is most likely to be found inside their room, doing some last minute gift-wrapping, and cursing because the tape got stuck on her fingers.

'Kurosaki-kun?'

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Orihime's slightly worried voice. He realized, that this wasn't the first time she had addressed him. He had been spaced out...

'Hm? Sorry... you were asking something?' he asked, trying to sound natural.

Orihime studied his expression closely, but didn't say anything about his odd behavior.

'Oh... I only wanted to show you tonight's menu...'

'Sure! Let's see it!' he said, with forced cheeriness. He took the note she was offering, and briefly glanced at it, then gave it back wordlessly.

'No corrections?' she asked, baffled.

'No.' he said simply.

'But...'

'Christmas is only once in a year. It's ok for this dinner to be... special. Just make it however you like!'

'Really?'

'Absolutely!'

Orihime was simply overjoyed at hearing this, and she ran to the kitchen eagerly. But she stopped in the archway, turning back.

'Isn't there something you want? I mean... I don't know what Yuzu-chan usually cooks... is there something special, that you like to have at Christmas?'

Ichigo frowned, then said: 'No... I don't think so...'

'All right then.' she answered, and with another happy smile, she disappeared in the kitchen. She was fishing out the saucepan from the bottom of a cupboard, when she felt Ichigo come behind her, and put his hand on her shoulder. She startled a little at the unexpected contact, but it was far from unwelcome. She half turned to face him, but froze, when she found, that he was much closer, than she had expected. He was leaning towards her, and she could feel her heart dance wildly inside her chest. His breath tickled her earlobe, making blood rush inside her veins...

'There is something after all...' he whispered, kind of shyly, like admitting a huge secret.

'Yes?' she breathed, trembling all over, from anticipation. It would be like a dream come true... if only there would be a mistletoe hanging above them...

But what followed, was totally different from what her sudden crazy thoughts have pictured for her.

'I know it's childish, but Yuzu always makes us hot chocolate, right before we go to bed...' he said.

He was only answering her former question. That was it, nothing more...

Orihime felt a little confused. They way he had whispered into her ear had been so intimate. Was Kurosaki-kun teasing him? She turned properly, and studied his face. No, apparently he wasn't. She saw no tease there. He blushed a little, but only because he indeed thought his wish to be childish... He seemed completely unaware of the embarrassing assumptions his simple act of wanting to whisper in her ear evoked inside her. Orihime didn't know if she felt more relieved or frustrated. She ended up laughing, to conceal both.

'No! It's not childish at all! Of course I'll make you hot chocolate! That's a nice tradition. I like it!'

Ichigo smiled.

'Yeah...'

He was thinking about the origin of that tradition. It had been his mother, who had started it, back when Ichigo was still an only child. Hot chocolate had been his favorite treat then, and she just couldn't help surprising him with it, on this special day of the year. When his sisters were born, she made hot chocolate for them all, but Ichigo still felt it to be made especially for him. When his mother died, Yuzu took over... and now...

'Thanks, Inoue...'

oOoOoOoOo

It was not entirely true, that they didn't have even one proper Christmas items: they had gone shopping again, a few days prior, and brought a few candles, and also a box of sparkles... (Orihime was looking forward to those with the eagerness of a little child.) They also brought each other presents, and it had been cute, how they both tried their uttermost to conceal it...

The dinner table was set fancily, with the candles already lit in the middle, and Ichigo only waited for Orihime to come downstairs, with a glass of juice in his hand, before they would sit down to eat. She came...

Ichigo happened to look up, just at the moment when she reached the bottom stair. His eyes widened, and his jaw fell. His gaze began to travel on her form, studying her from top to bottom, his eyes repeating the same journey again and again.

Blue and peach color. The first belonged to fine silk, and the second to even finer skin. The effect now was quite shocking to him. He had even forgotten she had that dress, which suddenly didn't seem that ridiculous he had thought it back when he had first seen it. Ichigo concluded that if Ishida didn't design the robe especially for Orihime, he certainly must have finished it that way. And it only bothered him a little at the moment, that the annoying quincy even managed to get the sizes right... The robe fitted her frame perfectly. The off the shoulder-sleeves and the neckline left her neck and delicate collar bones free for his eyes to study. The silk-material embraced her lean form, shining nicely in the light. The half-long length of the skirt tastefully emphasized her hour-glass figure, while allowing still enough of her shapely legs to show.

Ichigo stared and stared, unable to look away. His eyes finally came to rest on her face, which was certainly the safest place to look, and seeing her timid blush made him finally collect himself. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

'Khm... Wow! Inoue... you look... just wow!'

'Thanks...' she whispered, heavily embarrassed, but pleased.

'I... mmm... I'm afraid I don't I have anything to go with that. I feel sadly under-dressed now!'

She smiled.

'It doesn't matter. And I'll have to wear something on top of it, or I'll freeze! But still, I just wanted to wear it.'

They sat down, and Orihime served the dinner. They were both in a very good, and talkative mood. They told each others stories. They talked about their friends, about their middle-school years, and many more things. Tatsuki's name was mentioned, and Orihime requested to hear how Ichigo first met her (curious to hear the story from his point of view, and not telling him, that she already heard it form her). They both laughed much. After dinner, they settled on the living room couch, next to each other. Ichigo brought the mobile, and together they wrote a note to Urahara:

_'We wish you all a very-merry Christmas!'_ and at the end of it, as a kind of signature, they put a smiling, and a scowling little face...

Orihime was so happy... happy to be with him, happy to share all this with him. She wouldn't have given this day for anything! They opened their presents. Ichigo got her a new scrapbook, and a huge box of crayons in all the colors of the rainbow, which made her squeak with delight. Orihime found him little book, which held a few simple songs with guitar chords, and a game of jack-straws. Of course they immediately started to play. Ichigo proved very good in fishing out the straws from the pile, and it was an additional bonus to Orihime, to see his face cutely screwed up in concentration... They were both into the game nicely, playing with friendly rivalry.

Suddenly the phone announced the arrival of a reply to their message. Ichigo snatched it up from the table, and Orihime leaned in eagerly, so that they could read it at the same time.

_'103.8 FM, Karakura radio station. Turn it on.'_

This was all it said. Orihime and Ichigo looked at each other, a little confused. Ichigo went to the radio wordlessly, starting to tune it. The show with the Christmas requests was in full swing, with some namby-pamby voiced girl sending "All I want for Christmas" to her boyfriend. Ichigo rushed out to the kitchen, bringing in the lit candle, and the sparkles, offering one to Orihime, with a grin. They lit the sparkles, and played with them. Orihime even danced a little, which Ichigo only watched, smiling. Two other songs followed, but they still didn't know what they were waiting for. Then suddenly they heard a familiar voice coming from the speaker.

_'Erm... Hi! We are the Karakura Riser team, and we want to send this song to two of our members, who can not celebrate with us today... I hope you guys are listening!' _

Orihime's eyes brimmed with happy tears.

'Tatsuki-chan!' she whispered.

But the surprises didn't stop here.

'M_erry Christmas!' _said the unmistakable crisp voice of Uryu Ishida.

_'__Take care of yourselves!'_ this low voice could only belong to Chad.

Ichigo stood, frozen to his place, totally still.

_'We miss you both!'_ said Tatsuki again.

_'Christmas is just not the same without you!'_ said Karin's voice, that was even more unexpected then the ones before.

_'Come home soon, we love you!'_ said Yuzu's voice. It sounded like the girl was fighting back sobs.

Orihime looked at Ichigo, and saw that his eyes were round, unseeing.

_'Merry Christmas!' _said Mizuiro's voice.

_'Yeah... and hope you have mistletoe!'_ added Keigo's. Then there was a yelp and a strange sound, and some muffled curses from Tatsuki.

They heard the first few notes of the piece their friends have sent them. It was a beautiful version of a well known English Christmas song...

_'I'll be home for Christmas;  
>You can count on me.<br>Please have snow and mistletoe  
>And presents on the tree.<em>

_Christmas Eve will find me  
>Where the love-light gleams.<br>I'll be home for Christmas  
>If only in my dreams.'<em>

Ichigo felt like he had gone into shock. He couldn't move. Every note seemed to bite into him, like a knife to the heart, but also caressing him, like a healing balm. A large lump rose to his throat, and his eyes burned.

He wasn't even aware of Orihime watching him. Only when she began to move, did he look up, and the next moment, her hands wrapped around his torso, and her warm little body was pressed flat against his. Ichigo closed his eyes, and let the comfort her embrace was offering fill him. He took a big breath, and put his hands around Orihime, just as gently as she had.

The song ended, and as the last notes died away, he reached out to turn the radio off, least the mood would be ruined by the next requester. The silence of the room was only disturbed by the low crackling of fire in the fireplace. He put his hand back on Orihime's waist again, pulling her slightly closer. She let her head rest against his broad chest. He felt her arms tighten around him.

'Merry Christmas, Kurosaki-kun!' she said quietly.

Ichigo was quiet for a second, then his arms tightened too, wrapping her inside his embrace totally. His voice was full of emotions as he answered:

'Merry Christmas, Inoue!'

…...

_A/N: :-) See you in the New Year! Review?_


	12. Different kind of protecting II

_A/N: __What's this? I finished a new chapter, and it's still this year? I don't even believe it myself! But, here you go..._

_REMINDER: This chapter picks up things from before the Christmas-gift chapter. If you don't really remember, Ichigo freaked out because of a report on Karakura town, and Orihime felt crushed, because he left. Now you will learn more about the emotions behind that scene. (If you still can't remember clearly, please go back and check chapter 10, because you won't understand. It's not my custom to ask such things from my patient readers, but I do now...) _

_Chapter 11_

Different kind of protecting II.

That night, Ichigo woke up to her screams. He jumped out of his bed, like he had been catapulted.

'Inoue!' he called desperately.

The girl was right beside him, tossing and turning on the couch again. She was moaning, screaming, and pleading with an unseen someone at the top of her voice.

'No... please... NO!'

This nightmare had to be the worst she had so far. Ichigo didn't waste any time, but went to her side instantly, and started shaking and calling her. His first tries were unsuccessful. What's more, the sleeping girl started fighting him off, screaming even more than before. Ichigo desperately tried to reach her. It was like she was having some kind of fit. It was enough to scare him out of his wits... He put one of his hands to the side of her sweaty, feverishly hot face, while he tried to hold her in place with the other, by pinning her shoulder down. He brushed the length of her chin gently with his thumb, calling:

'Inoue! It's me... only me! Inoue! Please, wake up!'

Suddenly, there was a sharp light, and Ichigo jerked back reflexively. Orihime wasn't even wearing her hairpins, but her Shun Shun Rikka fairies came out of the 6 petaled flowery ornaments lying on the table next to them. Ichigo stared at the little creatures dumbly.

'What are you waiting for, you Baka! Just wake her already!' Tsubaki shouted at him angrily, without even a greeting.

'I'm trying!' Ichigo spat back, quickly resuming his shaking of the girl.

'Doesn't look good...' Hinagiku declared.

'Poor Princess!' added Lily.

'Can't remember her dreams getting this out of control since her return from that dreadful place, Hueco Mundo...' said Baigon.

Ichigo froze.

'Wait! You mean she had nightmares befo...? Ouch!'

Tsubaki aimed a kick to his head from behind. 'We can discuss that later Dumbass!' he yelled.

'Yes!' said S'huno hurriedly. 'Call her again, please!'

Ichigo did. Finally she opened her eyes, and looked up at him, unfocused. Her thrashing slowly ceased, and her screams subdued, becoming sobs.

'It's all right! I'm here!' Ichigo assured her.

He saw recognition kindle in her eyes. Her hands shot out, whirling behind his neck, and pulling him down... and this time, there was no hesitance, no confusing feelings inside Ichigo, as he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. It came just as natural as it did on the night of their fight with the yakuzza. He didn't even care about the winged little audience, flying everywhere around his head. She just needed him. It was that simple.

He let her just cry, until she released his neck, and muttered something about a tissue. Without taking his comforting hand away from her shoulder, he groped around in the darkness awkwardly, finding the box, and giving it to her.

After drying her eyes, Orihime looked around.

'Tsubaki? S'huno? Baygon? Lily? Hinagiku? Ayame?... What are you guys doing here?'

'Tsk! Our duty of course!' answered Tsubaki.

'You had quite an uncontrollable nightmare... we came to help.' clarified S'huno.

'Oh...' was her only answer.

'Inoue!' Ichigo called, to get her attention. She looked into his eyes, and he studied the depth of her orbs intently. He sighed. 'You scared me, Inoue!'

'Scared you?' Tsubaki asked, in an angry, and indignant voice. 'This reminds me...' and he now aimed another kick at him, this time from the front, and hitting his nose square on.

'Aww! Damn you, you freaking fairy! That's the second time you hit me for no reason at all!' Ichigo cursed.

'No reason at all, you say? Just who was it who had scared her so badly, that she became upset enough to have a nightmare like this?' Tsubaki asked.

Ichigo froze in his attempts of applying a tissue to his bleeding nose.

'Scared her?'

He looked at Orihime questioningly. She averted her eyes.

'Of course you did.' S'huno answered, instead of her. 'She thought you went back to Karakura... she though you were leaving her here all alone!'

'S'huno!' Orihime exclaimed, horrified, that her own powers were betraying her like that.

Ichigo's eyes rounded. He turned to Orihime, who could see his honest shock.

'No. No! Believe me: I wasn't even thinking about that. Not for one minute...' he said, pleadingly. 'I just went away... to cool down a bit.'

'Should have at least told her that in advance, you oaf!' Tsubaki scoffed.

'That's not very nice, Tsubaki!' exclaimed Lily. 'When he already apologized!' she added, pointing to Ichigo.

'Don't you defend him! In my opinion, he acted rather selfishly and inconsiderate!' said Hinagiku, pouting.

'Well... he was upset, just like the Princess...' said Baigon cautiously.

'That's no excuse!' fumed Tsubaki.

Orihime suddenly reached out, and grabbed her hairpins in her hand. Her features held a little anger. The little fairies glowed with a brighter light for a second, and all of them became silent.

'That's quite enough guys!... It's bad enough that I'm having this confusion inside my head... I don't need you to play it out for me!'

She looked at Ichigo a little fearfully. He scowled heavily.

'Inoue! I am so sorry! I never meant to hurt you. And about me leaving you, that's just... ridiculous! I would never leave you! Never! You hear that?'

Some color started to return to Orihime's pale cheeks at hearing this. They just looked into each other's eyes for a while, Ichigo's scowl softening slowly. But then Orihime looked away. S'huno flew close to her, landing on her shoulder.

'Tell him... Princess you've got to tell him about your dreams. That way he'll understand.'

'No...' Orihime whimpered.

'But your dreams won't get any better, unless you can face your fears!' Lily said, hovering before her eyes.

'Tell him, or if you don't, we'll do it for you!' Tsubaki warned.

Orihime paled.

'No! You wouldn't... you couldn't!'

'Yes we can.' S'huno assured her calmly. 'We are the Princess Shielding Rikka, remember? That means, that we will always do what ensures your safety, even if we sometimes have to disregard your wishes... because we were born with the help of a brother's love.'

Orihime opened her mouth, but then closed it back in surprise. She seemed speechless.

Ichigo looked at the little fairies uncertainly. Tsubaki still eyed him angrily, but he contained himself: it looked like they were forced to fight on the same side... But then Ichigo noticed that Orihime was giving him a suffering look. His heart clenched painfully.

'It's all right...' he said reassuringly. 'You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to!' he sighed, running a hand through his spiky locks. 'The truth is, I was a little angry, because you didn't confide in me yesterday... because I really thought that it would help. I wanted to help, but in the end, I only made it worse by making you upset. You were right in not trusting me! I don't deserve...'

'Wait!' Orihime exclaimed, stiffening, and her eyes rounding. 'You thought I didn't trust you? Kurosaki-kun! How could you think something like that? Of course I trust you!'

'Well, what happened a few hours ago proves, that you shouldn't...' he answered bitterly. 'I made you cry...'

'I do want to tell you about my... dreams. I just don't know how... It's not a question of trusting you, you see... but rather a question of trusting MYSELF! Because it's... embarrassing... and painful. I just don't want to hurt you, or you to think badly of me...'

'Badly? Of you? Will never happen...' Ichigo declared.

She smiled weakly.

Ichigo tried to think about something that might make this easier for Orihime. He remembered something.

'You were speaking in your dream... pleading with someone...' he prompted.

'Yes...' she answered, looking highly uncomfortable. She took a huge breath, strengthening her resolve. 'It was Onii-chan...' she finally confessed.

Both of them looked up to the shelf above the fireplace, where Orihime had put Sora's picture back. Ichigo was confused: this was not what he had expected.

'But you seemed... desperate. And scared! I thought...' he thought it best to just let the sentence trail off.

Orihime was looking ahead of herself, but her not looking in his eyes now was due to her being lost in her thoughts, and not due to shame or misery. He could see that, so he remained silent, waiting. The six little fairies found themselves sitting places, landing on Orihime's knee, on the couch's back, and on the coffee-table. Ayame flew shyly to Ichigo's shoulder, who could have sworn he saw the smallest of blushes on the small spirit-girl's cheeks. Orihime finally started speaking.

'These nightmares I'm having are always different. They simply take me to relive some dreadful moments, that already happened. But then... Onii-chan always comes...' Her voice shook, and Ichigo could tell how hard she was working on not to cry again. 'He just stands there, watching me suffer. Indifferently. Without even a word. Only his eyes are telling me... that I... that I...'

This was the part from where she couldn't go on without breaking down. Ichigo put a hand to her shoulder, awkwardly rubbing sooting circles on it. His eyes showed her rapt attention and compassion, and encouraged her to go on. She closed her eyes firmly and said in a broken voice:

'His eyes are telling me, that I deserve every moment of pain!'

Ichigo felt like he had received a painful kick in his guts.

'Inoue...'

S'huno flew up to pat the top of Orihime's head. She was hiding her face behind her palms.

'You see now...' S'huno said to Ichigo. 'She always blames herself for everything. It all started with her brother. Back when he was still alive, she started wondering... whether her brother would have had a chance at a fuller, happier, and more carefree life, if he wouldn't have been forced to take care of her.'

Orihime raised her head, and spoke with her eyes in the distance.

'He was so smart! He could have gone to a university, and learned... I know it was his secret ambition to become a lawyer. But he had me, and he worked day and night as an insurance agent to be able to provide for me... I know he hated it. And he could have had a family of his own... He was so handsome, and kind. But he never dated. I know why that was... I hate myself for what I did to him... For what I took from him... and after he died... I wondered... whether he would still be alive, if it wasn't for me!'

Suddenly she felt strong arms grab her shaking shoulders. She was being pulled forward, until her forehead was pressed against Ichigo's. She realized he was shaking too...

'No... please! You can't... don't blame yourself for his death! It was not your fault! None of it was!' he pleaded, and Orihime momentarily forgot her train of thought, so shocked by the intense emotions in his voice. Could it be that he was crying himself? She couldn't be sure... not with all the hot wetness clouding her vision. She reached to touch his face, caressing his features lightly. She found no wetness, yet...

S'huno continued.

'She thought she could never love her brother enough to pay him back for everything he had done for her. And deep down, she was always afraid of him one day realizing he'd had enough, and leaving her...'

'And with you, it's the same!' Tsubaki cut in unexpectedly. Ichigo released Orihime, and jerked back, like he'd received an electric shock. But Tsubaki didn't stop here... He put on a high pinched girly tone, imitating Orihime: 'I'm a burden to Kurosaki-kun! I'm so weak! He's always getting hurt because of me!'

Orihime embraced herself tightly, with both arms, looking down in misery and shame. She wanted to sink under the ground, deeply, and remain there, forgotten...

'And ever since you arrived here, she blames herself for putting you through all this!' Lily said. 'She feels guilty that you are forced to be here with her, and that you were forced to leave your friends and family behind. She reasons that she's ruining your whole future, by keeping you away from school! And she's keeping you away from your substitute soul reaper duties too... She thinks it's selfish.'

'And when you told her that you "should have been there", that confirmed her fears of you feeling angry with her deep down, because of this.' said Hinagiku.

Ichigo stood up fast. He turned away from Orihime, and was clutching his head, like he was in pain. For a moment, Orihime's heart seemed to stop... she thought it would break. Now she had poured her heart out to him, and it looked like he was revolted by it... revolted enough, that he didn't even want to look at her any more.

But he came back a second later. He sat next to her again.

'Damn, this is too much!' he cursed, and there was a little anger in his voice. But Orihime also felt his confusion, and really: she couldn't blame him for that at this point. A little hope entered her, as she waited for him to speak again.

'Inoue! I... I don't really know how to do this. I just know I'm out of my league... I'm no good with expressing my feelings. But I'll try anyway... First of all: my being here protects my own family just as much as it does you! But you know that. Second: you need me. There are others to do the protecting at home. And even though I freaked out earlier, I know that it was stupid. Chad is there, and Ishida... and I should have more faith in them. It's just frustrating not to know... and a friend can worry, can't he?'

'Of course.' Orihime said quietly and softly.

'And third... I want you to stop blaming yourself once and for all! Because nobody blames you... I know that I don't! None of this was your fault! You are no burden! And you are not weak! Needing help doesn't mean that you are!'

'But I'm always relying on others!'

'Did you ever feel angry with me, when you had to heal me? Or Chad? Or Ishida? Of course not, because it doesn't work that way! If a friend needs your help, you just do what ever you can for them. You don't feel angry with them because of it! Because they are important to you!' Ichigo grabbed her shoulders again, forcing her to look into his eyes directly.

'You! Are! Important to me! I would do anything to protect you, and would never feel regret!'

New tears were gathering in Orihime's eyes, but the feel of them were different. They didn't feel so heavy and stinging as before. The suffocating feeling also loosened around her chest, making breathing easier, and her whole body seem lighter...

'And one more thing.' Ichigo continued. 'I'm sure your brother never regretted choosing to take care of you. Maybe his life would have been easier without you... but there is no guarantee that it would have been happier, and it certainly wouldn't have been more worthwhile! You didn't take anything from him, you only made him a better man! You made him into the man you can be proud to call a brother!'

'Kurosaki-kun!' Orihime whispered, awed. She felt a rich warmness fill all her body, especially her heart. The tears were still rolling down her cheeks, but under them, she was smiling. 'Thank you!'

Ichigo smiled too. He half lifted his hands hesitantly, but then put them back again, feeling embarrassed. But Orihime had seen the unconscious inviting gesture, and she threw herself forward. Ichigo could just open his arms again in time, to put them around her small frame. The force of her move took him by surprise, and he almost fell backwards, but he was able to support themselves in the end.

Orihime's head pressed firmly into his chest. Her fingers clutched his shirt, but the grip of them gradually loosened, as she relaxed into his hold. A long sigh rose from Ichigo's lips. He let himself relax too, basking in the feeling of peace, after all the anxiety.

He didn't notice Tsubaki fly close to his ear, until the fairy whispered into it:

'Don't be too full of yourself... you did this decently, but it's not over yet! I'll be keeping an eye on you!'

Ichigo looked up, scowling, but Tsubaki was already over Orihime's head, and this time, it was she, who got a generous punch from him. She whined, surprised.

'And you got that for scaring all of us!' Tsubaki spat.

The six little fairies flew back to the hairpins, still in Orihime's hand. She pouted.

'Is it really normal for someone's own power to behave like this?'

Ichigo frowned, but it was more of a funny gesture.

'Well, mine only tries to kill me from time to time, so I guess you still have it light...'

Orihime chuckled weakly, though in reality, there was nothing funny about the comment, only in the context.

They looked at each other, and Orihime realized she was still in his arms. She blushed. Ichigo blushed too, pulling back a little.

'Er... mmm... do you want me to hold your hand again, until you go to sleep?'

Orihime smiled warmly.

'That sounds nice...'

But even though they settled that, neither of them moved. The will to release Orihime had formed in Ichigo's mind, but somehow his hands wouldn't follow... Orihime also didn't move. They just sat there, with his hands on her sides, and hers on his chest. Suddenly there was a strange sound.

'What the hell?' Ichigo asked confused, being freed from the strange spell they seemed to be under. He thought he just heard the much hated starting signal of the Don Kanonji show!

Orihime quickly disentangled herself from his embrace, running to the shelf above the fireplace with an anxious and put on expression. She snatched their mobile phone up.

'It's Urahara's reply! Here!' she said, handing him the phone with shaking hands. 'You better read it... I'm too nervous...'

Ichigo gulped, as he looked at the tiny screen, and the even tinier envelope picture on it. All the anxiousness and the concern for their friends at home had returned in an instant, squeezing his guts into a tight knot. He pushed the button, and read.

_'Don't let the Berry freak out. It WAS a gas-explosion. I checked, and everyone is all right. You just worry about yourselves. Wishing you the best: H&C'_

Ichigo smiled relieved.

'It's ok. You were right after all. Come, read it yourself!'

Orihime sat back down beside him, and she read the note too. She too smiled after it.

'I'm so glad!'

'Me too! Now my only question is...' Ichigo frowned. '...what exactly was in your message?'

Orihime laughed, embarrassed.

'Only what I told you. But Urahara-san knows you very well, Kurosaki-kun...'

Ichigo scowled.

'Great... I'm a predictable jerk then, I guess.'

Orihime giggled, and sent him a warm, loving look.

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: All right... hope you liked it. I have a very strong reason why I mixed up Ori's powers in this. I considered this to be a conversation just between the two of them, but knowing where I want to take the story, this fits better. I also had to edit a lot of my otherwise brilliant (:-))) thoughts, because I felt that the less was somehow more. I was afraid that the dialogue wouldn't be coherent. Maybe I can put these thoughts back in some future chapter..._

_Please review, and tell me if something didn't make enough sense! How do you like my interpretation of why Orihime always feels herself to be a burden? Was Ichigo's way of consoling her ok?_

_HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone!_

_(On a personal note: It would be the best New Year gift for me ever, to reach 100 reviews with this story...)_


	13. Balance

_A/N: Thank you, thank you all! You are the best! We've passed 100 reviews on the first night of the last chapter out! That's amazing! It warms my heart to know how many of you are waiting eagerly for this story to continue! _

_About this new chapter: it's long and rather crumpled, with a lot of different things happening... hope you can cope with it! :-)_

_Also, a WARNING is due... nothing more, than a little dirty joke, but I don't want to change the rating just for that. And maybe some OOC-ness despite my best efforts._

_Chapter 12 _

Balance

With their first week gone, time suddenly started to fly... They got used to the situation, to the house, to their daily routine, and most importantly: to each others constant presence. Orihime felt it. Ichigo felt it. They no longer blushed when they woke up in the morning to see the other's disheveled hair. They no longer felt the need to apologize over nothings, like having to use the bathroom. They no longer freaked out about the occasionally occurring physical touches...

And all this was just the surface. Ever since their heart-to-heart that night, when Orihime finally told him about her dreams, there was a significant feeling of closeness between them, more intense, than before. They both became more relaxed about being themselves. Ichigo even started cursing again, though he still held back on it a little. And Orihime was humming songs while cooking, with almost the same vigor as she used to do at home. When they talked, they no longer avoided heavy topics, just to spare the other. For example, they began discussing whether and how they would be able to return to Karakura.

'It's just so sad... I liked working in the bakery, even though it was sometimes tough.' Orihime said one day, while they were taking a little walk in the forest.

'How do you know you won't be able to go back?' Ichigo asked.

'It's most likely that my place will already be filled. When I applied for the job, there had been 6 applicants to choose from!' she answered, sighing.

Ichigo peeked down at her as they walked side by side.

'Right. But there is still a chance.'

She smiled.

'I guess so.' But then her mouth curved downwards in a frown. 'But when the summer comes, I'll probably need a new job anyway... Some better paying job, if that is even possible. A better paying and permanent job.'

Ichigo scowled, thinking heavily.

'But... you'll be working? I thought... I mean you are the third in our class! I'm sure there are some scholarships you could apply for if you wanted to go to college...'

'Yeah... but as you know, my apartment has burned down! I lost everything I had... I'll have to rethink my future, taking my new limits into account. I have some money saved in a college fund, but I will have to use that in order to be able to start anew... A scholarship would be enough for my schooling, but how would I fend for myself? I was only able to pay for the rental fee of the apartment with the help of my aunt, but her family is also... erm... not very rich, and she told me quite clearly, that she won't support me any longer if I finish high school. No. I don't think that could work...'

Ichigo's scowl became more and more pronounced as he listened, and thought over her words. Of course, she was right about everything. It surprised him how matter-of-factly the daydreaming girl could think! He supposed it had to be the result of much practice, and he mildly wondered how was she ever able to come as far as she had in life, while being practically all alone.

Orihime saw that he was saddened by hearing about her problems. She grabbed his arm to stop him, and when he looked at her, she gave him a big, cheery smile.

'Hey, it's not like there ever has been a big chance for my going to college... Besides: it's not as bad as it sounds! Maybe I'll be able to continue my studies later... or maybe I can learn some profession in some evening-school or course. I'd love to be a baker myself! Then maybe someday... if I work really-really hard, I'll be able to open a bakery of my own!' she stopped, her expression turning thoughtful. She nodded seriously. 'I'd like that.'

Ichigo sighed, shaking his head.

'I really don't like hearing you speak like this, Inoue... I would much rather hear you say that the little blue men will probably be able to help you out, or something!'

Orihime began laughing from the heart. The tinkling sound of her laughter carried past the silent trees of the forest, and echoes of it were flying back to them in the air.

'That was really good, Kurosaki-kun!' she cried, holding her side. 'You know what? Maybe they will!'

Ichigo smiled.

'You do know, I trust, that you can always count on us to help! I think I can safely say that in the name of the others too. As for myself: I'll try my best to make sure you'll never have to stand alone...'

Orihime's heart started to skip joyfully inside her chest...

'Thank you!'

Their newfound closeness and being at ease in each other's company showed in other things too. Like the fact that they became more relaxed about sharing the household duties. Ichigo had felt bad at first that Orihime was doing almost everything in the kitchen, most frequently even the washing up, until she pointed out to him that she never helps with the fire either, which was without doubt a toilsome and responsible task.

Orihime began to notice after a time, that whenever she was thinking about doing anything, she no longer used "I", but she used "we" instead. Sometimes she couldn't help it, and she even spoke like this aloud. At first, this embarrassed her, and she felt the need to correct it, but then she began to notice that Kurosaki-kun did the same...

Boredom was starting to be their constant company, and most dreaded enemy. It couldn't be helped, not even with all the studying they did. Ichigo especially bore badly the hours spent with "doing nothing". He was used to always being in the middle of one thing or the other, be it a conflict with school bullies, a fight with hollows, a dangerous rescue mission, or a war to save the world. Whenever boredom pained him too much, he would become a bit grumpy. But Orihime didn't take that to heart, as Yuzu would have, she didn't start ignoring him, which was Karin's solution, and she never scolded him because of it, as his father would have done. Instead, she tried to cheer him up, using her lively spirit and imagination. It almost always helped.

They frequently engaged themselves in playful bantering conversations, even teasing each other a bit, just making fun to kill time. (Much like they did at the supermarket, with the doughnuts.) This was new, as it required a trust that the other wasn't going to take it amiss.

'How's your new masterpiece coming along?' Ichigo asked once, after he'd been watching the princess bend over her work for minutes. She was giving all her attention to her scrapbook.

'Mmm! Almost done!' she answered, not noticing that even her tongue was sticking out, in strained concentration.

Ichigo grinned. Damn, the girl was just so cute like this!

'I'm glad to hear that... I'm starting to feel sorry for that poor pencil, you are gripping it so tight! I wouldn't be surprised if it would break!'

Orihime erupted into a fit of giggles.

'It's not my grip, that's breaking the pencil... it's your scowl! Come and see!' she said, pointing to the paper.

Ichigo was shocked: he never would have thought she would draw him! He thought she was still drawing scenery! Some of her scretches that she did on the lake's side were really good. Not even close to orthodox, but good. There was one picture, which was Ichigo's favorite, that resembled a child's meaningless doodling at first, but looking at it more closely, the watcher could distinguish mountain peaks and tree-trunks in the deepening and attenuating lines, and the clever way the colors captured the light.

But now, Ichigo was afraid of what he would find... He reluctantly stood up.

'Ok! But be warned: I'm known for not having any taste for these things at all!' he said, while going behind her back to peek over her shoulder. Then he laughed. On the paper, there was a group of chibi characters, and all their faces, as well as their clothes were really detailed. Orihime must have worked on it hard. And sure enough, there he was, in the middle, dressed as a soul reaper with a mini Zangetsu on his back. On his one side stood Rukia and Renji, in casual clothes, but recognizable from their hair style. On the other side was Uryu, in robes of white and blue, his glasses concealing his eyes, and Chad, with even his treasured medallion visible around his neck. They were all smiling, except for him...

'Hey, cool!'

'Thanks!' Orihime said, smiling happily. Then she sighed. 'At least I can DRAW your hair back to orange!'

Ichigo snickered.

'You can draw it any damn color you want, as long as you don't put bunny ears on top of it!' he said, thinking about Rukia's unique drawing style.

One morning, Orihime slept in late, and when she woke up, she found, that Ichigo had already gone out for his usual turn around the lake. She was in the middle of the task of breakfast making, when she felt his return, announced to her by his spiritual pressure. She guessed he must be doing exercises, for he didn't come in yet. So she put on her jacket, and went out to search for him, intending to ask what jam-flavor he would prefer on his toast. But she couldn't see him anywhere.

'Kurosaki-kun!' she cried. There was no answer, and she slowly walked forward, her eyes searching left and right. His spiritual pressure felt close, but there was no sign of him. Not on the lake's side, not amongst the trees... What could this mean?

Suddenly she heard a soft noise from behind. She turned, and thanks to Tatsuki's persistent training, her arms came up on instinct, defending herself, ready to punch.

Ichigo laughed, landing right before her, having jumped down from the tree above.

'Wow! Basic karate self protection! I still remember that!'

Orihime scowled.

'Glad you find it funny!'

Ichigo still laughed.

'I'm sorry, I just couldn't leave out this joke... you were so funny looking all over for me on the ground!'

'Well Tarzan-san, breakfast is ready, I just...'

She started to turn back as she spoke, but Ichigo grabbed her shoulder, and kept her in place.

'Not so fast! Before we go, I want you to really show me that move!'

Orihime blushed.

'No. It's been years since I last practiced!'

Ichigo's laughing expression disappeared, giving place to a mild frown.

'That's exactly why you should! You might need to really use it some day!'

Orihime blushed even more.

'I just can't... there is no way...'

Ichigo's grin returned.

'Why? Afraid of hurting me?' he taunted her.

'I was serious!' Orihime spat angrily. 'And just so you know, I do have a mean punch!' she sulked.

'What did Tatsuki do, to convince you?' Ichigo inquired, his eyes twinkling.

'She kicked my butt, of course!' Orihime said, before she could stop herself, but then she blushed.

Ichigo leaned close to her ear from behind, and whispered.

'Well then... anything for the greater good!'

Orihime paled.

'You wouldn't!' she stated.

The next moment, she felt him grab a lock of her hair, and pull on it just a little, playfully. She sighed.

'All right... I'll try!'

After this, they started practicing karate moves a little almost every day. Orihime discovered that she really had forgotten a lot, but it was highly satisfying to feel it all come back again. She also felt now that she needed to find herself some way to work on becoming fitter, even if she didn't like jogging.

Ichigo found, that besides being content that his help ensured that Orihime would be able to defend herself better, he enjoyed these practices very much. It gave them something new to do, and they always laughed much during it. Ichigo knew the moves, but he knew next to nothing about how to teach them, so Orihime had to instruct him on that, taking after what she had learned from Tatsuki. Neither of them were brave enough to admit to themselves how much they enjoyed that the excuse of karate gave them safe confines of time and place for being able to be in physical closeness with the other, without it seeming wrong, or awkward.

It was already the middle of their third week when Ichigo first had to take the form of a soul reaper again. They felt the presence of a wandering plus spirit in the forest, and he declared it would be wise to do a konso. He left his body safely in the house this time. When he was about to leave, he noticed Orihime's sad look.

'What?' he asked.

'Nothing!' Orihime quickly stated.

'Inoue!' he said indignantly.

He knew her so much better now, that it was no use for her to pretend. She sighed.

'Well... I just wish I could go with you...'

Ichigo eyed her speculatively.

'It will be just a dull konso.'

'That's not the point...' she said.

He smiled, and turned, so that his back was facing her.

'Then hop on!'

She blinked.

'No... you don't have to... I was just...'

'You'll be able to help. You know how much better you are at sensing spiritual pressure than me. We'll find the spirit sooner, if you guide me!'

Her features lit up at hearing this.

'That's true!'

He was still waiting for her to climb onto his back, and she hesitantly did so, amidst fierce blushing.

'Are you sure this is ok?' she asked, when they were already flying above the snow-clad treetops. (The first snow came in their second week - a treat that Orihime enjoyed much – and by now there was a nice, thick sheet covering everything.)

'Yeah... I used to carry Rukia like this, when she lost her powers, so it's nothing new. And she was even hitting my head constantly from behind!'

Orihime bit her lip. She couldn't help the strange feeling that clutched the pit of her stomach at the mention of Rukia's name. She knew that no matter how much stronger she would get, she could never be as strong, and as fitting a partner (at least in soul reaper business) for Kurosaki-kun, as her friend. She sighed.

'I wish I could learn flash-step too... then maybe I could be some real help, not a backpack... But, I'm no soul reaper...'

Ichigo stopped, standing on top of a huge boulder.

'You know Inoue, that's an idea!' he declared, his voice sounding a little excited.

'What is?' Orihime asked, a little confused.

'You are no soul reaper to be sure, but you have power!' he said. 'Ishida can use hirenkyaku, and Chad learned sonido... there is also bringer light. There are so many ways to do it. It's not that far-fetched, that you could find a way of your own!'

Orihime's eyes widened.

'Do you really think so?'

'Sure!'

That afternoon, they ignored their studies, and while it was still daylight, they went outside instead, and faced each other, just like during the karate practices. Ichigo was in his soul reaper form again. That alone was enough to make Orihime edgy: she didn't point out to him that his spirit body still had orange hair, or that the sight of it made butterflies fly inside her belly.

Ichigo was eager to help her learn flash-step for the same reason he insisted on karate. He guessed she would be safer, having a way of quick escape.

'Er... I don't really know what to do...' Orihime said, uncertainly.

'Hm... let's see... Tell me! How did you learn new things about your power up till now?'

Orihime tried to think.

'Well... when I first discovered my powers... we were under attack. And Tatsuki-chan was hurt! I was scared, and desperate! I needed to use all three of my basic shields: the protecting, the attacking, and the rejecting, to get out of the situation. Ever since then, I was just perfecting those moves, nothing more.'

'And what about your Shiten Koshun? Didn't you learn that by training? Chad said something about you two training to get stronger, when I didn't have my soul reaper powers.'

'Yes.' Orihime answered, playing with a lock of her hair, and keeping her eyes on the ground. 'I understood the possibility of there being more combinations of the six Rikka... and I tried to experiment with them. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it. Until one day, we ended up in a big fight with a few Privaron Espada coming to Karakura...'

'WHAT?'

'Er... never mind that now... hehehe...' she laughed nervously.

Ichigo's hands balled up into fists, and he was unconsciously baring his teeth. Orihime vowed to herself never to reveal to him why the Espadas had come in the first place: it had been to take revenge on the one responsible for their master's fall – him.

'But what happened?' Ichigo asked, trying to calm down. It was no use making himself upset about something that happened a year or so ago...

'After months of training in vain, the new move just came to me naturally during the fight, when I needed it!'

'That means that you learn best under pressure... much like myself...' Ichigo said. He slowly walked a little further away from her, clearly thinking. Orihime was still immersed in memories of that time. Then suddenly something hit her hard. Something white splashed into her side, exploding with contact, and spraying even her face a little. A snowball...

'Ouch!' she whined.

She looked up, and saw that Ichigo was already fingering a second ball, ready for throwing. She squeaked, and quickly ran to hide herself behind a tree-trunk.

'I thought you liked the snow!' Ichigo laughed. 'Come on out, and hit me! I'm gonna give you my share of tonight's pudding if you succeed!'

Orihime smiled behind the tree.

Ten minutes into the snow-ball fight, there was still no sign of Orihime achieving anything concerning flash-step, even though she called out her fairies on the way. Lily and Hinagiku were flying close to her head, as she tried to avoid Ichigo's all too precisely aimed shots. They were crying out instructions to her confusingly, sometimes even contradicting each other. S'huno and Baigon sat down to watch her struggles from a tree's low hanging branch, occasionally shaking their heads. Ayame had her eyes hidden, only peeking out fearfully. Tsubaki sulked, and while Ichigo was only aiming for her legs and torso, he took the liberty and sent some snowballs directly into her face, though those were considerably smaller...

Orihime tried to run, and suddenly her feet got caught in a loose root, hidden under the snow. She fell face forward into the snow.

'Inoue!' Ichigo cried, alarmed. He rushed to her side, wanting to see if she was all right. But when he got there, she suddenly vanished into thin air!

'What the...?' Ichigo asked stupidly, his eyes burning the spot where the girl had been a moment ago.

Then he heard a scream - from above! He turned his head upwards, slowly, mentally preparing himself for what he would find.

Orihime was sitting on top of the nearest tree, clutching the branches for dear life, with her expression terrified.

'Oh shit!' Ichigo cursed, and flew to the rescue.

'You clumsy little hussy!' Tsubaki cried.

Down on the bench of tree-branch, Baigon calmly turned to S'huno.

'See now... she finally did it. Told you he was a good influence on her!'

Ten minutes later, inside the safe warmness of the house, surrounded by a nest of blankets, and with a mug of hot tea in her hands, Orihime was still shaking.

'So. What happened?' Ichigo asked trying to sound serious. It was hard for him to completely hide his amusement.

'Well, you were right. I do have a way of my own. And I just did it... but it was... scary! And I couldn't control it properly.'

'It was only your first try! At least you succeeded! I'm proud of you!' Ichigo answered warmly.

Orihime smiled.

'It's actually a new shield!' she declared.

Ichigo looked curious.

'It can reject my presence from one place, and put it elsewhere...' she added gesticulating wildly with her hands, to illustrate what she was saying. She looked much happier now. 'I guess I'll be able to control it more if I use a name for it, like with my other techniques!'

That night Orihime wasn't woken up by any nightmare. She slept peacefully all throughout the night. Ichigo knew this, because they now had an agreement: he made her promise that she would always wake him, and not suffer alone. Orihime's bad dreams were slowly becoming less frequent, which made Ichigo happy, but in this case, he supposed something must be said about physical exhaustion.

So everything around them was as peaceful and happy as can be, with a good promise of things becoming even better. But then something happened... something that managed to throw Ichigo completely off balance...

They were beginning to exhaust the DVD stock dangerously. They had already watched all the movies that interested them both, and were now facing the dilemma of whether it would be sci-fi, or action that night... There were, however a few untitled discs among the pile. Ichigo finally decided to try one in the hopes of finding something interesting. It hadn't been exactly the type he was expecting... Thankfully Orihime had been in the bathroom, and he was able to turn the machine quickly off, before she saw anything.

'So... Did you try it? What kind of movie is it?' she asked, showing excitement, while taking her place next to him on the couch.

'Erm... Not our kind of thing, trust me...' Ichigo answered cautiously, while keeping his eyes cast down in order to hide the heavy blush that adorned his cheeks at the memory of what he had just seen.

Unfortunately, Orihime's curiosity could not be quieted with just that.

'But what is it? Can I see?'

'NO!... I mean, just forget it, Inoue...'

Orihime was blinking up at him confused, and annoyingly innocent. Ichigo sighed, defeated.

'It's... well... it's a sex video.' he said, wondering whether he had ever felt this uncomfortable before.

'What?' It was now Orihime's turn to flash crimson.

'Geez! Don't make me say it again! It was bad enough once!'

Just when Ichigo thought that his embarrassment had reached it's peak, he could see her mouth form the word "sex-video", and this made things even worse, if possible. Maybe she had never heard of such a thing, and would now want him to elaborate? But he was saved from that mortifying fate, thankfully.

Orihime started to squirm, fidget and giggle at the same time, showing her discomfort.

'A... mmm... all right then... let's watch that action film you originally wanted...' she said. She began tugging at the collar of the sweater she was wearing. 'Huh! It's harder rod here... I mean rather hot here! Do you want some sex... er... snacks! SNACKS!'

Ichigo suddenly stood up, and ran out of the room, to the bathroom, shutting the door, like he had been chased by ghouls. He spotted his own complexion in the mirror, and immediately leaned over the sink, to spray his face with cold water. His ears were ringing...

He could handle keeping her safe and taking care of her. He could handle her cooking. He could handle catching her, when falling down mountains. He could console her when she had a nightmare. Hell, he would even buy lingerie for her! But if there was one thing he couldn't handle, it was her talking dirty, even if it was unintentional...

The pure white statue, the truest example of woman's innocence had fallen down to the dirt before his very eyes! (Ears, really!) While the fiasco with the shopping had managed to remind him very forcibly that his friend was a female, what had happened a few moments ago made him realize that she was a WOMAN!

Not that he didn't know of course... in theory. This knowledge was just something else... Palpable evidence, that she was not some far away princess, sitting on top of a tower, not a perfect, untouchable idol, only to be adored from a distance. But bone and flesh... and so very close!

Of course, Ichigo was a man. He did realize before, how "gifted" Inoue was, when it came to physical charms. He had just never permitted himself to think about her like "that" before! But it was hard not to now... The girl had just seemed too pure and innocent for to even be tainted by thoughts! That was the reason he had always been so angry, when some hormone-raging boy at school was drooling at the sight of her: because it was an abuse to think like that about her, when she was so naïve.

But now, for the first time ever, the thought entered his head that maybe she was not THAT naïve after all...

oOoOoOoOoOo

That night, it was Orihime who was woken up from her peaceful slumber by sounds. She saw that Ichigo's bed was empty, but there was some light on in the kitchen. She got out of the bed, and went searching for him.

'Kurosaki-kun?' she called sleepily, when his form came into view.

He jumped a little, shouting out and spraying the front of his robes with water from the glass in his hands.

'Ah! Inoue! You scared me!' he said, his voice strange.

'I'm sorry... did YOU have a nightmare this time?'

Something twitched on his face as he answered.

'Yeah... something like that...'

'Poor Kurosaki-kun! It must have been bad! I can see that you are all strained... and your face is so red! Are you sure you are alright? Maybe you have a fever!' she said, wanting to touch his forehead, but he jerked back, not allowing contact.

'I'm alright!' he said firmly.

Orihime looked confused, and maybe even a little hurt.

'I told you about my dreams, and it helped me a lot! Please, won't you tell me?' she pleaded.

Ichigo was confused, embarrassed and angry with himself. There was no way he was going to admit what his dream was about... Just thinking about it caused his cheeks to get even a few shades darker than they already were. He tried to think of a way to get out of the situation, without offending Orihime.

'Er... mmm... it wasn't like that! It's just my stomach... er... too much popcorn!' he lied, trying to sound convincing.

It was not that great an act, but thankfully, Orihime bought it. Her features cleared, and she immediately began to rumble about hot water bottles, chamomile tee, and a soup made out of caraway seeds, while opening the cupboard. She pulled out a chair, and stood up on it to be able to search through the things on the shelf more properly. As she tried to reach higher, the sweater she was wearing began riding upwards. Ichigo growled in annoyance.

'No, thanks! You are kind, but I don't need either!' he called back, as he ran out, pulling his jacket and hat on quickly. 'I think some fresh air will do more good for me! Just go back to sleep... I'll be back later!'

When outside, he took a huge calming breath from the cold night air. He started walking forward stubbornly, and before he knew it, he was running... Yes. That's what he needed! Cold air, and some exercise...

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: I have to say: I'm totally sorry for giving such a sentence into Orihime's mouth... I was looking for a much "milder" slip of the tongue actually, but then this came to my mind, and it was just too hilarious for me to pass up... Decide for yourself whether you like it! _

_So... do you still remember what happened at the beginning of this chapter? And the middle? I hope you do, so you can leave nice, long reviews!_


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: As you may have noticed, I took a little break from this story. Other plot bunnies visited me, and I needed to somewhat rethink this story's storyline too. _

_Anyway, here's chapter 13. I'm kind of ambivalent with how it came out. _

_Continuing the MATURE THEMES... Again, I did something I didn't want to, but it just came out so hilarious that I decided to post it anyway. But I guess I won't hear you complain... We'll see!_

…_..._

_(Note: I have renumbered the Christmas chapter, to be the 14th, so you can insert it after this one. I just figured this stuff still goes before that. I also made minor changes in it, to fit it in more. And by the courtesy of "nypsy", chapter 11 and 12 is now more readable: I corrected the typos and mistakes!)_

_Chapter 13_

Awkwardity II.

Ichigo now had to learn the hard way, that the more effort you put into NOT thinking about something, the less easily it's done. That would have been true with even something trivial, like some dull school-business or something, but that was not the case here. Right now, he had to fight not only his suddenly out of control thoughts, but also his body, that was all too eager to go along with them...

It was irritating beyond measure how the word "temptation" suddenly seemed to have developed a whole new meaning to it in his vocabulary. The world around him have changed to hide a new trigger every moment... Turn on the radio: a love song – romance – sex! Sit down to studying: biology – reproduction – sex! Read an innocent looking book: a couple – flirting – sex! Even in an action movie: saving the world – a kiss to the hero – sex! Having dinner: Inoue – a banana - ... Oh no! That's definitely crossing the line!

What line? Those carefully drawn, strict, straight lines he had drawn for himself, of course! Most people viewed Ichigo as a hot headed, short tempered, explosive man, but that was only half true. True, he would always respond like this to taunting: that was partly because of him choosing to seem like a toughy. He had purposefully chosen to present this hard, nonchalant, even detached image of himself to the world. But he always had a strong sense of wrong and right, and he had unyielding principles to guide him in life.

The problem was, that these principles, that had already brought so much trouble on his head so far (for example making him fight foes way stronger than him), were now in conflict with his feelings. The moral rules he's grown up to acknowledge right, were telling him that it was a crime wanting to be closer to his friend like that, when she had practically no escape from him, the way they were forced to be together right now. Only a heartless brute could want to do such a thing. It was an abuse to even think about it, regardless of any feelings... His feelings as well as hers. Not that he permitted himself to broad on the subject of feelings: he figured the situation was already complicated enough without that as it was, so he just purposefully left himself in ignorance in that field.

But his instincts, that were awaken from their beneficial sleep after the incident of the DVDs, refused to back down. That made him feel kind of sick with himself, wondering whether something was wrong with him. Instead of just accepting the feelings as something natural (and let's face it: sexual tension in a 17 year old boy WAS natural), he stubbornly set out to fight them with the same intensity, as in the case of his enemies. Everybody sane, or at least everybody viewing things from a somewhat unbiased point of view, could have been able to tell him, that nothing good could come out of that. The more he tried to repress or deny the feelings, the more he tried to push them back into the depth of his unconscious, the more unlikely, cruel or embarrassing ways they would find to get back at him for it.

He sat in the armchair, instead of his usual place next to her on the couch while watching the night's movie: all he achieved was, that he got a nice view of the girl chewing her lips through half the story... The next day, he sat next to her again, but choose a horror movie for a change, because he thought there was no way there was anything sexual about that. He honestly never saw it coming, but ten minutes into it, Inoue have jumped into his arms, and hid her face in his chest... He even fell over once, when he tried to avoid bumping into her, while passing each other in the confined space of the kitchen. He hit his ankle so bad, that he cried out, and Inoue of course insisted to see the damage, and he had to endure the feel of her soft fingers brushing over his leg's bare sin.

The karate and flash-step practices were turning into a torture...

Orihime noticed of course. Not that she was aware of the true nature of things, but she noticed, that Ichigo was suddenly acting very confusing. One minute he was normal, and at the other... just weird. She noticed that tell-tail fake smile appearing on his face more and more often. She noticed, that he seemed to draw back from her, always finding new excuses to spend more time alone. She good naturedly didn't point this out to him, and accounted for it as new signs of him feeling more pent up and bored. But she also noticed that he seemed to blush more... she didn't really know how to read that, but it just made her embarrassed too.

One day, Ichigo woke up to see Orihime still sleeping beside him. He should have known better, but the relaxed, peaceful expression was so cute on her face, that it drew his eyes, and he began to just watch her. There was nothing really slinky in the way she lay there (her body was completely covered with the thick quilt), but even the knowledge that she was there, only arm's reach from him was enough for Ichigo. He didn't really need much to turn him on these days anyway... And the fact that it was morning, and he was nicely relaxed and cozy after the night's sleep didn't help matters.

Inoue's face simply bewitched him. He just looked, and looked... She smiled a little, in her sleep, the corners of her mouth curving slightly upwards. There was a tiny black dot of a birth-mark on the left side of her face, close to her jaw-line. He never noticed that before. Her eyes were closed peacefully, and he could see the magnificent curtain of lashes framing them. He swore he could count each eyelash if he wanted to...

He jerked back. He didn't realize that he had been leaning in towards her, like he had been drawn by a magnet. His own involuntarily action scared him. He couldn't believe he had left his guard down like that! He was familiar with the feeling of doing something he never intended to, and feeling remorse after, but he had long ago reigned in his hollow, and couldn't blame the fiend for his current actions. This meant, that it was he himself that was out of control this time. He needed to be careful!

In a desperate attempt to overcome his body's needs, he went out for his usual workout, making it last long, trying his best to tire himself as far as possible. He even run up to the little hill's top, which was certainly a great achievement, in the ankle-deep snow... When he returned, his trousers were totally soaked, but he didn't mind. Thankfully, his body was relieved of every kind of heat: he shivered. He was thinking gladly of a nice warm shower, and some peaceful studying after.

As he walked up the steps leading to the pouch, he heard loud music coming from inside the house. He opened the door, and stepped in. After closing the door back, he began fumbling with the zipper on his jacket. But when he lifted his gaze, his hands suddenly stopped. He had to fight back the seriously violent round of curses wanting to burst out of him. All his efforts of cooling himself down went down the drains with only one look at the sight before him.

The music was loud for a reason. Orihime had pushed the couch back a little, so that she had more room in the living-room. She was only wearing a shirt, with no graciously concealing layers of sweaters on top of it. And under that... Heaven forbid! Only tights... True, a thick, dark colored, not see-through tights, but tights nonetheless. It struck to her long shapely legs perfectly, bringing out every curve on them shamelessly.

She moved to the music... Ichigo immediately though that dancing should be made illegal! The way her hips were swinging, with the shirt riding up just enough for the roundness of her backside to be visible from time to time. Her hands moving, like a taunting, inviting gesture. The rich locks of her hair, billowing down her back in a mesmerizing way. Then she turned... Ichigo's gaze was immediately drawn upwards, but before it could reach her face, it stopped involuntarily, as though being held by some charm. Small ripples were visible on the strained fabric of the shirt, where it hid huge curves, as she bounced up and down... That sight alone would have been enough to drive any man mad...

But suddenly, Orihime stopped. With turning around, she finally realized his presence.

'Kurosaki-kun!' she exclaimed. 'I though I would do a little work out myself... Aerobic! I used to do this a lot with other girls from my class back in middle school, and when I heard a familiar song playing I just remembered how much fun it always was!'

She was beaming, clearly pleased with her new discovery, cute roses of excitement adoring her cheeks. Ichigo didn't blush this time: he was so totally under her spell, that he forgot even to be embarrassed.

'I see...' he answered stupidly. He didn't really take in a word of her speech.

'Is there something wrong?' Orihime asked, finally noticing his blank expression, and getting concerned. She half expected him to announce he was on his way to destroy a hollow...

'No...' he choked out, still half dazed.

'Umm... then... does it bother you if I continue some more? It feels so good!'

Ichigo blinked a few times. The girl was clearly trying to murder him...

'You're welcome to join me of course, if you'd like!' she said, still innocent and honest.

This was it: the final straw... Ichigo turned away, to forcefully drag the zipper all the way down, and hang his jacket up.

'Erm... Would you excuse me for a few minutes?' he managed to ask, before disappearing in the bathroom to admit defeat to himself... and since he was at a war with himself, it was only natural that he was winning and loosing at the same time...

oOoOoOoOo

'Hey, Kurosaki-kun! Over here!'

'Wow, Inoue! That must have been... twenty meters to say the least! You're improving fast! I'm beginning to wonder if this new ability of rejecting yourself has any limits in distance at all...' Ichigo said, while walking over to her.

Orihime looked at him, wonderingly.

'So you say... that in theory... I could... travel to Mexico and back?'

Ichigo stopped.

'Why Mexico?'

'Sado-kun told me wonderful stories... I would so like to see a fiesta one day!'

Ichigo smiled.

'Yeah. But I would advise you not to try rejecting so far any time soon. How was your aiming this time?'

'Erm... not as precise as I would like. I meant to arrive under that tree!' she pointed to a tree a few meters to her right. 'I guess I still have to concentrate better... at least it's not the top of the tree this time!'

'Your aim is better with a shorter distance...' Ichigo noted, looking thoughtful. 'And I just had an idea...'

Orihime stood right before him, curiosity shining in her eyes.

'All right. Let's try this!' Ichigo said, having decided himself. 'You make a move, and come right behind my back. Then as soon as you're there, you fire Tsubaki!'

Orihime's mouth popped open.

'What? No!'

'Don't worry: I'll defend myself of course!' Ichigo said easily. 'But in a real battle, this could be your winning move, so I want you to practice it! It's practically flawless: there is no way anyone would be able to read your move, since it's not a move at all, but a vanishing-act, and if you learn to attack the same instance you reappear, it's actually uncounterable!' he said happily.

But Orihime's face twisted into a frown, that only became more and more pronounced with every word he spoke.

'I think it's a nasty move... sneaky and cheating!'

Ichigo grinned.

'Yes it is! But I still want you to learn it. It could save your life one day!'

Orihime muttered something unintelligible.

'Sorry, didn't catch that!' Ichigo said.

'You are so much like Tatsuki-chan now...'

Ichigo laughed.

oOoOoOoOoOo

'Ku... Kurosaki-kun?' Orihime's hesitant voice reached him through a heavy fog, and he felt her hands shaking him gently.

'Mmm... wadup?' he mumbled, being awaken from his deepest sleep. He sat up on the mattress, and rubbed his eyes.

The girl didn't answer, but drew back slightly, and waited for him to wake properly. She was sitting with her legs under herself, her hands twisting in her lap, and her eyes cast down. As soon as Ichigo looked, he realized she must have had a nightmare again.

'Oh, Inoue! I'm sorry! I'm here now!' he said quickly, reaching out for her hand. He couldn't see properly in the darkness, but he was sure she had been (or was still) crying. She squeezed his hand back gladly, and even looked up, attempting a half smile.

'What was it this time?' Ichigo asked. He knew the girl was always relieving some bad memory of her past in her dreams.

He felt her stiffen.

'Tell me!' he pressed.

Orihime sighed. She raised her free hand, and showed him four fingers. Ichigo frowned.

'Ulquiorra?'

She only nodded.

'Damn that bastard!' he said, unable to contain the curse.

Orihime chuckled weakly at his reaction.

'You know of course that I already defeated him... He can never hurt you again!'

He looked deeply into the girl's eyes.

'He... he didn't hurt me...' Orihime finally said.

Ichigo scowled.

'Yes he did!' he answered firmly. 'Even if it wasn't physical.'

Orihime averted her eyes, but she nodded. Ichigo guessed she was fighting back tears again.

He gave a soft pull on the hand he was still holding. Orihime came closer, reaching the edge of his mattress. Ichigo shifted back, allowing her room. The darkness concealed Orihime's blush, as she laid herself down. Ichigo reached out to pull her quilt from the couch, and he covered her. They were facing each other, on the same mattress, sharing a pillow, but under separate quilts.

'You do know what I want now, I trust?' Ichigo said.

'I... I do?' she asked, while blinking confused.

'Yeah! I want you to tell me everything that happened with you in Hueco Mundo! From beginning to start! I so wish I could just go inside your head, and beat that irritating Espada out of there! But maybe this is the next best thing...' he said. 'I probably should have asked you to tell me this long ago anyway!'

Orihime offered him a trembling smile.

'Ok...'

She began talking. It was hard at first, especially when she had to recount how and why she agreed to go with Ulquiorra in the first place. (And she completely left out the scene when she had visited Ichigo of course, and thankfully he didn't ask details, he only noted that she had come to heal him, which was true, but even that made her blush...) But the more she told, the more relieved she felt. She had never before told anyone about these things: Tatsuki would have listened to her, she even started telling her, but it had been no real use: Tatsuki hadn't been able to understand half the things, not being able to experience them firsthand. It was satisfying to finally be able to share the burden with someone, to get this all off her conscious.

Ichigo listened to her patiently, only occasionally interrupting with questions or remarks. It was hard for him at some points. She only gave a brief account of Loly's and Menoly's abuse but even that was enough to make him start fidgeting restlessly with repressed rage. But at the end of the hour long, quite exhausting (for both party) confession, Ichigo found he felt relieved. He only realized now how many unanswered questions, how many painfully nagging suspicions had been clinging to the perimeter of his conscious concerning Inoue's kidnap... At least now he knew everything. And he felt that it could have been much-much worse...

Orihime couldn't help crying again, when she remembered how terrified she had been, when she saw Ulquiorra blast Ichigo through with that cero. Ichigo squeezed her hand again, as if to assure her that he was there. She couldn't really recount the fight that followed, but that was fine with him: he didn't even want to hear how out of his mind he had been... He only asked her one question.

'Did I scare you? I must have...'

'I was only scared FOR you... and it's lucky that... erm... Ulquiorra (she still had trouble saying his name) had strength left for that final cero.'

'So it was him...'

'Yes.'

Ichigo became thoughtful. Orihime studied his expression in the darkness, but couldn't see much.

'What is it?' she asked, when she could no longer bear the tension.

'I just remembered something. It's something I said to Ulquiorra during the fight. I realized, that I could read his moves better than the first time we fought, so I figured that either I must be becoming more like a hollow, or he was becoming more like a human. How pissed off he had been hearing that! But I actually think now, that this second version may have been truer than I thought. Thanks to you.'

Orihime bit her lip.

'You mean... that I had an effect on him?'

'Without doubt. And that effect helped in the end.'

Orihime fell silent, thinking.

'I see... I've never thought about that before...' she admitted. She was thinking about Ulquiorra's last words: _'Are you scared, Woman?', _and the way he had reached out for knew there had been pity in her heart then, but only now did she understand why. She had pitied not what he had been, but what he could have been. And just like that time, she now felt she can answer that question without wavering:_ 'I'm not afraid.'_

She smiled. Ichigo saw it, and it brought a small smile to his lips too.

'Feeling better?'

'Loads better!'

'That's good...' he said, stifling a yawn. 'Then we can go to sleep now, I guess. Thanks for telling me all this, Inoue!'

'No! Thank you for listening! You have no idea how much it helped!'

'I'm glad. Well... see you tomorrow!' He pulled his quilt up a little, and closed his eyes contently.

'Kurosaki-kun...'

'Mmm?'

'Should I move back to the couch, or should I stay?' she asked shyly.

Ichigo stiffened. He had completely forgotten about how unusually close they were now. But of course, her question brought that into light instantly.

'Can I stay? Just for this night...' she asked.

'Sure.' he answered, but his throat felt dry.

'Thank you!' she whispered gladly. 'Good night!'

'Good night, Inoue!'

Orihime drifted off to sleep easily in a few minutes, being cozily wrapped up in her quilt, and also in the closeness of Ichigo's warn spiritual pressure. A small smile graced her lips, as she breathed in and out evenly.

But Ichigo lay awake. He had a mystery to figure out for himself, which didn't let him sleep. This past week, he had felt and acted like a hormone-crazed, out of control complete perv. So how was it, that now he was able to just lie there, so close to her, without even one inappropriate thought?

The answer was simple: right now, he was protecting her. And nothing could interfere with that.

_'I guess I should give more credit to myself... After all, it's not like I'm just gonna jump on her! If it didn't happen till now, I guess it's safe to assume it won't. Maybe I made a bigger issue out of this whole thing than it really is...I guess I freaked out myself big time... I really am a jerk! It's like Ishida said: it matters whether I trust myself with her.'_

So finally, with the comforting thought of always being capable of protecting her, no matter what, he too was able to go to sleep peacefully.

...

_A/N: ...waiting for you reviews!_


	15. What's in a name?

_A/N: I know! I know! This chapter is TOO short! I wanted to make it longer, but figured this scene was important for the plot, so I decided to leave it just like that. Hope you don't mind, at least it's more than nothing... :-) _

_(Oh, and the chapter title is of course a Shakespeare reference...)  
><em>

_Chapter 15 _

What's in a name?

'Inoue?' Ichigo popped himself up on one elbow.

It was a quiet afternoon, a few days after Christmas, and they were just enjoying a nice after-lunch nap, speaking occasionally, but resting mostly. The fire was piled high, and the welcome warmth was radiating from it, filling the whole room. All was quiet and peaceful.

But something's been nagging at the back of Ichigo's mind. In fact, it had been nagging him for days now. Maybe even longer... But now he finally worked up the courage to say it out loud.

'Yes, Kurosaki-kun?' Orihime answered, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth, while laying on the couch.

Ichigo frowned. This was it... this thing exactly.

'I... I want to ask you something...'

Orihime registered the uneasy, hesitant tones in his voice, and she sat up, looking down on him.

'Yes?'

'Er... I don't want to be rude, or too bold, or anything... I realize it's supposed to be the girl who initiates something like this.'

Orihime frowned in confusion. She couldn't follow him. She couldn't even make heads or tails of what he waned to say. This made her nervous. She bit her lip. He continued:

'It's just that since we are here, only the two of us, it feels kind of weird to me to always address you by the surname... and I've been thinking for some time now, that first name terms would feel more... natural.' he spoke uncertainly, and the end of his sentence faded away slightly. But then he shook himself, feeling stupid. He started it, now he must finish! 'I mean, I would like it, if you would call me simply "Ichigo".' he added, more firmly, feeling satisfied: this at least sounded right to him.

He sat up properly, and faced Orihime.

The girl wasn't looking at him. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts, chewing her bottom lip. Ichigo waited, but when she didn't respond anything, even after half a minute passed, he began to feel a hot wave of mortification slowly creep up his neck, leaving tense muscles in it's wake.

'It's all right... I understand if you don't want to... I just...' he said.

'No!' Orihime collected herself quickly. 'I... I'm honored by your request! And... I would love you to call me "Orihime"...'

Ichigo's brows furrowed. He could feel that the girl wasn't saying all.

'But?' he asked.

Orihime looked at him, and saw his heavy scowl.

'Don't be mad at me!' she begged, with her mouth trembling.

'I'm not mad!' Ichigo spat, anger evident in his voice. He felt frustrated beyond measure. 'Well... maybe I am... but only because you are making such a big issue out of it! If you are uncomfortable with first name terms, they you should just tell me right away! I'm sorry I brought it up in the first place! The last thing I wanted was to make you cry!'

'I'm not crying!' Orihime shouted, indignant, and sulking, though her voice WAS high pinched.

Ichigo couldn't take it. He was hurt: his pride... He stood up, wanting to leave.

'Just forget it, ok?'

But Orihime reached out, taking hold of his wrist, stopping him.

'Please... stay.' she said. Luckily, her voice was more calm now, and it was begging.

Ichigo closed his eyes. A little tremor ran through his body. He exhaled long and slow. Finally, he turned back, and gently freeing his hand from her slackening grip, he sat down to the soft carpet on the ground, cross legged, right before Orihime. He raised his eyes to her.

'I'm sorry.' he apologized.

'No. I'm sorry. I don't want you to feel like your request was something inappropriate, because it's not! It's just that... I will need more time... to adjust to it.'

Ichigo smiled, relieved.

'That's fine!'

Orihime smiled too. They were both glad, that they managed to repair the damage that both of their unthoughtful words inflicted in the bridge of their relationship.

'How about we do this?' Orihime asked. 'You can call me by the first name, if that's ok. And I... I'll wait till it comes natural for me to return it. What do you think?'

Ichigo scratched his neck, and started laughing, more out of embarrassment, than anything.

'Sounds a little weird to me, but if that's what you want! We can try it.'

Orihime extended her hand to him, for a handshake, with a comically serious expression.

'Deal?'

Ichigo laughed from the heart this time. He shook her hand.

'Yeah. Deal!'

He rose from the ground again, heading for the kitchen, stretching himself on the way.

'I think I'll have a coffee. Do you want one?'

'Yes, please!' Orihime answered.

She watched him go, and as he disappeared behind the archway, her thoughts were finally free to go back to the memory, that had been brought into the light of her consciousness by their discussion. Now she gave herself over to thinking about it...

_'Orihime! You can't address people like this!' _

_'Why not, Onii-chan?' _

_'Because it's not right! You see, you show your respect to others by calling them politely.' _

She could have been around 5, and she had addressed her brother's distant acquaintance by the first name by mistake. Her brother hadn't taken her much into company, so she hadn't been able to learn things like that naturally.

_'I want to be polite... I just don't know how!' _

Sora had then explained all to her patiently, about names and different suffixes.

_'And can I call my very best friends by the first name?'_

_'Yes, but only the girls.' _

_'Why?'_

Sora had laughed.

_'You'll find out in time! But I do hope that I won't hear you call some boy by the first name for a long-long time!'_

Orihime had looked at him seriously.

_'Onii-chan! I promise to you, that I will never call any boy by the first name... Ex__cept__ you!' _she had said seriously. Then she had put a finger to her mouth, thinking. _'And except for my future husband I guess! Right?'_

Sora had startled a little at this, but then he laughed again, giving a kiss to her forehead.

_'Too right it will be!'_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Ichigo poking his head back in the room.

'Hey! Orihime! Coffee is ready. You better put your wasabi in it yourself, I don't trust myself with that!'

Orihime froze. This was the first time, that in consistence with their new agreement, he had used her name. The feelings born inside her at hearing it roll down from his lips, shocked her. She felt a nice, cozy, heartwarming, uplifting feeling ran through her. It was intense and comforting. When it was gone, she was left with an emptiness, that somehow felt not right. She began to wonder whether she could give just as much joy to him, if she could indeed find it in herself to call him "Ichigo".

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: A little bit about how I see Orihime... I think that while she is gentle and accepting with everyone, she also has her walls of security. After all, her power is „rejecting"! (And I think every character's power is in consistence with their personality.) And she can be stubborn about some things. She loves Ichigo, but still has to learn how to really let him near, step by step. What's more, both of them have to learn that since both of them lost somebody close to them, and that makes them cautious to open their hearts again._

_But don't worry: a big change is coming up! A little drama is all we need to push them over the edge now..._

_Please review!_


	16. Tension

_A/N: The build up to the promised turning point...(I hope this will feel more humorous than angsty! At least the first part...)_

_Chapter 16 _

Tension 

With the celebrations behind them (their New Year had been rather quiet), things began to fall into a dull, repetitive pattern. Every day was the same, with little to no new things to interest them. They knew boredom was sitting heavily on them when they found themselves looking forward to the hours spent with studying, and instead of doing the day's work quickly, they sought ways to lengthen the time spent bending over textbooks... Oh the horror...

Also, with being always together, they sometimes started to get on each others nerves, even with her gentle temper, and his iron-clad resolution of being the gentleman. It was something inevitable, for which the situation was to blame, and they both knew it, so usually didn't take the occurring banterings to heart.

They didn't have a watch other than their cellphone, and Orihime developed the irritating habit of asking Ichigo the time every few minutes, when she was particularly bored. She would also hum and sing a lot, which was cute, but got tiring after a while.

'Orihime! For Heaven's sake! Could you please stop humming!'

'Humming?'

Ichigo massaged his aching temples, with gritted teeth. There was a change in the weather: after the rather cold December, January arrived bringing a huge uprising in temperature. The snow melted in places, leaving everything damp and muddy, and Orihime could forget her dream of buying a pair of skates the next time they went out shopping: the ice on the lake had thinned, and wouldn't bare them safely. Maybe due to he weather, Ichigo's head had been hurting all day, and his temper was at it's lowest.

'Yes! Humming! You've been humming "Ten green bottles" over and over again in the past half hour! It's really getting on my nerves now.'

Orihime smiled sheepisly.

'Sorry... I didn't even realize I was doing it. But it wasn't "Ten green bottles standing on the wall". It was "Ten little green men sitting in a spaceship"!'

Ichigo looked ready to strangle her on the spot.

'Whatever...' he hissed.

Both directed their attention back to their textbooks. Ichigo sighed as his strained nerves started to notice the welcome quiet around him, and he leaned back in the armchair comfortably. But the next moment he froze.

Orihime wasn't humming this time... she had started singing!

'The great mecha robot sat on the wall, The great mecha robot had a great fall...'

'ORIHIME!'

She on the other hand started to find Ichigo's complete neatness a little hard to bare. She liked things in order too, but didn't think it a sacrilege to leave a few unwashed dishes for the morning now and then. She never even knew this side of him before. He kept whining and nattering when ever something wasn't in it's regular place...

'Orihimeeee!' he bellowed form the bathroom one morning.

She cringed, having a very clear idea of what this was all about.

'Coming!' she cried back, while running to the bathroom at top speed, not even blushing any more as she darted past a half naked, heavily scowling Ichigo.

'Here it is!' she said, giving him his toothbrush. 'I'm sorry, I forgot to put it back again!

'Why do you have to put it away in the first place?'

'Because there is so little room here, I feel like I can't move about! And I don't want to end up accidentally brushing it to the floor!'

Ichigo shook his head.

'Let's clean off a shelf for you or something, if you need more room!'

Unbeknownst to them, this was the week, when back home, at Karakura town, Isshin had made a remark to Urahara upon reading their lackluster of a text message. The scientist teasingly asked him how did he think the pair was doing together. He answered with a sigh:

'They'll either come back being engaged, or with a mutual desire of never seeing each other again. My heart is with the former, though taking my idiot son's temper into account the latter is probably more likely...'

True, Ichigo's temper was a great factor in the new, more tense atmosphere around them, but Orihime's stubbornness just as much. She still couldn't work up the courage to call him by the first name, as was his wish. She even went as far as convincing herself that she was attached to the old name somehow... Ichigo never brought up the subject again, never pressed her, but his disapproving scowl would always appear on his face when ever she let "Kurosaki-kun" slip past her lips. So she opted not to address him at all in most situations, which wasn't that hard to do, really, with only the two of them. Ichigo tried not to feel rejected by it, but in truth it ate him from inside, making him a little bitter. He couldn't account for her behavior any other way than her putting up walls to keep him away... The bitterness in him only grew with time, fueling their little rows over insignificant nothings with some real anger from his part, which was a dangerous sign...

oOoOoOoOo

It started with something small, insignificant... as all rows usually do...

Ichigo's substitute badge signaled a hollow just before dawn, and he went out to take care of it alone, without waking Orihime. He just didn't want to disturb her: the whole fight (if one slash could even be called that) didn't last more than a few seconds anyway. So he didn't think he did anything bad. But when he returned, he fond himself facing a clearly offended Orihime.

'You should have waken me...' she accused him, with a pout.

Unfortunately, Ichigo found said pout more childish, than intimidating.

'I would have waken you if I needed help.' he answered, shrugging nonchalantly.

'That's not the point!' Orihime said, her cheeks crimson. She even raised her voice a little. 'You could have just told me you went away, even if you didn't need me to come along!'

Ichigo felt some impatience.

'Oh come on! We both know you would have wanted to come!'

Orihime gasped. A strong, sharp pain flashed across her chest.

'Right! And you just don't need me!'

In his anger, and irritation Ichigo only noticed the accusing tone of her voice, and not the wetness gathering in the corner of her eyes. So he reacted headfirst, answering as he would have answered Rukia or one of his sisters in similar situation.

'Maybe I don't! I just wanted you to sleep peacefully, damn it!'

Orihime stood there a few seconds longer, like she had been struck by lightning, then just turned her back on him, and marched away into the kitchen, her nose held high. For the first time in her life, she was really-really angry at Ichigo Kurosaki! Why was he putting so much energy into her karate and flash-step practices, if he just ignores all her improved skills in real action? He must be really full of himself! Couldn't he see how she longed for an opportunity of proving herself to him? Of proving she was a useful partner? And then, he even says something this heartless to her: he doesn't need her! Orihime embraced this new feeling, the intense anger, holding it close to her heart as a shield, because otherwise she just wouldn't have been able to cope with the misery his rejection put her in...

Ichigo watched her go with a strange mixture of guilt, and some unbidden satisfaction... He was not aware of it, but that satisfaction came form being able to give some of the bitterness back to her, that she made him go through recently. He didn't want to be mean, but couldn't help feeling as he did.

Orihime prepared their breakfast, as usual, but in her preoccupied state – or was there some unconscious deliberateness in it? - she made the mistake of mixing up their usual coffee cups. Either way, she didn't feel regret, when Ichigo lifted the supposed to be safe blue mug to his lips, and almost drowned choking.

After this, they both wowed not to speak another word to the other all throughout the day. They both sulked, waiting for the other to start apologizing. But under the anger, they both felt miserable, and wanted nothing more than to make things right again between them.

It was after dinner, that Orihime could bare the tension no more, and she decided to go out for a little walk, even though it was already dark outside. Ichigo was taken aback when he saw her putting on a jacket and tying her scarf around her neck.

'Where are you going?' he asked, maybe a little more accusatory than needed to.

'Oh I don't know. Out.' she answered, pulling on her boots now.

He scowled.

'Well... don't go far.'

She narrowed her eyes.

'I go where ever I want to.'

It was a statement, but with a challenging undertone, that was not lost on Ichigo, and it pissed him off instantly.

'I'm here to protect you, aren't I?' he asked angrily.

'Yes. And you can congratulate yourself on how flawlessly you're doing it!' she cried back, before storming out of the house, banging the door behind her.

Ichigo sighed big. Somehow he felt stupid, standing there alone. He really didn't know what to do. He walked to the couch, and sat down, letting his head fall back. He closed his eyes, and tried to take a few calming breathes. When he sat up properly again, and his gaze accidentally fell on the picture above the fireplace.

'Just what was that all about?' he asked Sora Inoue's unmoving replica. 'I mean I didn't do anything wrong... I didn't say anything wrong either this time... Should I apologize? I never meant to hurt her, I just... Oh, damn! This is complicated!' he raised, and walked to the fireplace, taking the frame into his hand, looking at it more closely. 'I bet you never had problems like this with her!' he finally said, frowning down to the picture. Then he put it back to it's place. 'Of course not! She was your sister, not your...' he stopped. His eyes bulged. He was paralyzed with shock, at what almost slipped out of his own mouth. _'Oh my God!'_

He stood there, rooted to his spot. For a moment, all his surroundings were drowned out, by his own thoughts and emotions. The feeling was like he had made the journey to his inner world, yet, he was still inside the house in reality.

Then suddenly, he was pulled back. He didn't know by what, but he felt some uneasy readiness, some tension, or anticipation. He thought he had heard something...

He rushed to the door, tearing it open. He stepped out to the pouch, looking around. The night was dark, not even the moon shining. The voices were faint in the wind, yet... A heavy chill ran down his spine.

'Orihime!' he cried, but there was no reply. He couldn't see her anywhere.

Then he heard it again. Clearly this time. His heart missed a beat...

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: Ok, I know you all must hate me now... (evil smirk) Another short chapter and a cliffy? I must seriously want to scare my readers away... But don't worry: chapter 17 will be up by tomorrow, it's almost ready as well! In the mean time, please review! :-)_


	17. Cold and warm

_A/N: I know you are all too eager to read anything before the chapter, so I'll save it till after... Enjoy!_

_Chapter 17 _

Cold and warm

As Orihime was falling, there was only one thought inside her head.

_'Stupid! How terribly stupid!'_

Nothing she had ever done before deserved the titles "clumsy", "inconsiderate" and totally "dumb" more, than what she just let happen to herself. She should have had more sense than to climb up a rock, above a water's surface, when everything was so slippery from ice... But this was her favorite place, she had climbed up here a lot of times before, and this time being different never crossed her mind.

She felt like she was falling in slow motion. She could almost picture herself from outside. And before she could think of anything else, the collision came. The ice cracked beneath her, with an earsplitting noise, like a cannon-fire. She screamed.

She didn't have any illusion: she had known it would hurt. The slow motion speed up, as soon as she was submerged in suffocating coldness. The icy water was biting her skin savagely from everywhere. It was strange, that while she was very conscious of the cold, the feeling was like being burned with flames. Her robes were soaked completely almost in no time, and were pulling her down heavily. Her feet couldn't kick properly in her boots. She struggled to get to the surface, her lungs already screaming for air. But even the ice was in her way, and she hardly saw anything in the darkness. She fought, driven only by shier instinct, and finally she was able to surface, and pull in a much needed breath.

Now even her lungs were aflame! She choked, trying to support herself on the side of the broken ice, but it wouldn't hold her: it only broke apart more under her weight. She ended up under the surface again. This time, she couldn't find the opening. She tried to grope around above her, her nails scratching the underside of the ice-sheet vainly.

Dread filled her heart, and this made resisting the pull of the darkness harder. She could feel it: she would die here, and coldness would be her grave... She couldn't fight, and there was no help. She would never return to her friends, to Karakura, to Tatsuki-chan... and to Kurosaki-kun... As she thought about him, his face showed up clearly inside her mind. Deep down inside her, she seemed to have found one tiny spot, that still held some warmness, despite the cold.

No! She couldn't give up! She had to protect this warmness! That couldn't be lost! She had to preserve, she had to protect that!

As soon as she thought this, she saw light. Her Shun-Shun Rikka had come again, in her time of need, without her calling. She couldn't understand their voices, but she gathered her strength, and followed after them. They led her to the opening again. She didn't try to grab the ice this time, she only struggled to keep her head above water. As soon as she filled her lungs with oxygen, she used it to shout.

'Kuro...'

But her voice was weak, it wouldn't carry thorough all the way to the house. And she managed to get a mouth full of water before she could finish anyway. She tried again, stubbornly.

'Kurosa...'

She was forced to choke on the end of it again. Damn, he had a long, difficult name, not really good for shouting out! It's amazing how she never realized this before, even though she used to shout it a lot...

When she shouted for the third time, she gave everything she got into it. She kicked with her legs hard, to raise her head high, and her clear, sharp voice made echoes all around the lake's surface...

'ICHIGOOO!'

oOoOoOoOo

Ichigo would never have thought, that when he would finally get to hear his name from her lips, it would be like this. He immediately wished he never heard it! He didn't realize the full situation right away, but the way his name rang out into the silent darkness of the night, a shrill terrified scream from her lips, it made his heart chill. His brain was so frozen with shock, he couldn't think, so instinct took over. He didn't know how, but the substitute soul reaper badge was already in his hand, and before he knew it, he pressed it to his chest, and began rushing forward, towards the lake, with flash-steps as fast he could make them. He could feel Orihime's spiritual pressure, that was what was guiding him.

It was so dark, he could hardly see anything. But he got there, to the place behind the great stone, which was Orihime's favorite place. Hovering above the water's surface, he saw light. The little Rikka fairies. Their light guided him right. He saw the gaping hole in the ice's surface, and the eerie splashing of water... But nothing more. All six fairies were shouting, but the meaning was lost on Ichigo. He didn't need more information.

'Out of the way!' he cried, and dived into the icy water...

It hurt. Terribly. Even in his spirit form, the cold managed to paralyze him. He sharpened his spiritual pressure, and felt around in the darkness. There was no time to waist, and as always, when he was pressed, solutions came to him naturally, without having to think. He used his soul reaper senses, visualizing her spirit ribbon.

There! He had it!

He followed the trail, and as soon as his arms closed around her body, he began rising. He was sure he wouldn't be able to find the hole in the ice again, so he took Zangetsu in his hand, and blasted a new exit for them, shooting out of the water, like a rocket. At least now he could breath. He flew back to the house as fast as he could, his whole body shivering violently.

'Orihime!' Answer me! Orihime!'

There was no answer. Anger and desperation boiled inside him. The fairies followed him, but they couldn't keep up, with his fastness. On the pouch, he landed. He looked down for the first time: Orihime's eyes were closed, her face ashen and her body limp. He couldn't even tell whether she was breathing at all. He kicked the door open, heading for the bathroom, leaving a path of water droplets in their way. He turned the shower on, stepping under the mildly warm water with her still in his hands. Even with the water not being too warm, it bit his skin, as the tissues stared to return to some healthy, human temperature. He ignored the pain, and focused on Orihime. He began shaking her violently, calling her name again, and again.

'Orihime! Orihime! God, damn it! I won't let you do this to me!'

He put her down, and started to tear her clothes off, to free her from the still cold-soaked materials, and to be able to feel for a heartbeat under them.

'God damn it!' he cursed again, before bending down, and fastening his lips to hers, trying to push oxygen into her lungs. He did that one, two, three times, his desperation mounting to frightening heights.

Before the fourth, he was stopped. He jerked back when S'huno flew next to him, and touched his cheek.

'It's all right now... you can stop. Look!' the fairy said, his voice soothing.

Ichigo looked down, and saw that Orihime's eyes were now open, and she was looking at him, with a distant, but not empty expression...

'Orihime...' he called again. He felt her now bare chest rise and fall fast under his shaking palms. He looked at her, and suddenly all his strength left him. He let himself slide down next to her to the floor, the warm water raining down on them steadily.

He felt his whole body convulse: racked by powerful sobs. He was crying. The tears ran down his cheek, mingling with the water. He hardly remembered ever being this overcome by emotions. Except for one time.

The little fairies looked at each other uncertainly, not even Tsubaki speaking. They clearly were at a loss to know what they should do, and finally they just began to fly back to Orihime's hairpins, one by one. Before Ayame went, she flew to Ichigo's ear, and she used the hem of her long robe to dry the corner of his eye.

'She will be all right now. I promise. Thank you for saving her again!' she said, bowing ceremoniously, and flying her way back, completing the six petals on the hairpins.

Ichigo took a few large breathes, calming himself. After the fierce rush of emotions, he felt completely drained. The adrenaline rush have now mostly cleared from his system, and it was hard to think properly. He realized, that Orihime was choking heavily next to him, and this made him collect himself. He reached out to pull her over himself, to allow her to rest more comfortably, leaning against his chest. He also tugged at the the materials still covering her back, intent upon exposing as much of her skin to the benefits of warm water, as he could. Once she was out from them, he tossed her clothing away, and started rubbing her skin, embracing her tightly. She was shaking all over, and as his cheek brushed with hers, he felt it's coldness. Instinct still ruled the better part of his actions, so it's no surprise, that he just turned his head, starting to kiss her delicate skin, down towards her neck and shoulders. His arms tightened around her unconsciously.

'I... I... Ichigo!' he heard her choke out weakly.

He growled against her skin, in relief. He lifted his head to be able to look in her eyes. He leaned in... This time, he kissed her properly, not because of her needing help breathing. His lips brushed urgently across hers, his hot breath warming her skin.

He continued kissing her, but he made sure not to be too rough, or not to steal her breath again. His lips went to explore all he could reach with them: her mouth, her cheeks, her forehead, even her ears, nose and eyes. His kissing route brought him back to her lips again, and with just a little more pressure, he gently forced them apart, to be able to share even more warmth with her. His tongue brushed the length of hers, the taste being addicting, and feelings born in it's wake, that were warming him more than anything on the physical level.

Hearing a soft moan rise from her chest, called out by his actions, he drew back. He felt his vision darken a bit, just like it did, before his hollow was about to take over. But it was different... it was not lust for blood, that ruled right now... but a different hunger. Even in his current state he recognized it for what it was, and knew that fighting this was just as difficult as the other.

His hands slid down Orihime's bare back, until they came across material again. He looked down, frowning, to see her trousers covered legs, and her feet still inside her boots. Before he could think better about it, his hands were already at the button of the front of her jeans. Her surprised widening of eyes was lost on him, as he lifted her, to be able to pull the trousers down. Orihime allowed it, but it still took an effort: the thick wet denim struck to her skin maliciously. She kicked the boots off, and finally with their combined efforts, she was free. Nothing remained on her now, except for her underwear, which wasn't precisely doing it's job to preserve her dignity, because the white cotton bra and panties were made totally see-through by the water.

Ichigo let them just sit under the warm water for a few minutes longer, hugging her close. Orihime squeaked, when he unexpectedly pushed his arm under her knees, lifting her up into his arms. He stood up with her, and turned the water off. He reached for their towels, and covered Orihime in both. As he walked out to the living room, he began to pat her dry. He put her down to the couch, where she took over the task of drying herself, securing her dripping hair in a turban on the top of her head. She kept throwing anxious glances in his direction, but she didn't dare speak.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was piling quilts and blankets on top of the mattress he usually occupied for sleeping. When he was done, he lifted the corners of them, pointing to Orihime, his meaning unmistakable.

'Inside!' he ordered firmly.

Orihime quickly climbed under the mountain of comforters. She pulled one quilt up to her chin, and blinked out nervously, shivers running through her.

Ichigo nodded grimly, and went to get his body from the pouch. He knew that this was going to be another painful experience: transferring from one freezing body to the other... And just as he expected: his real body was stiff, the clothes frozen to his skin. He cursed loudly, as he struggled to get up. He started running a little, and jumping about, before returning inside. He quickly threw a few new logs to the fire, before running to the kitchen.

Orihime followed his every move with her eyes from inside her hiding place. He returned soon, with an unfamiliar looking bottle in his hands, a grim determination set on his features. He unscrewed the top, and took a generous gulp from what ever was inside.

'Ah! Holy shit!' he cried, shuddering.

He stood before the baffled Orihime, and quickly started to strip of his clothes... His sweaters, shirt and jeans fell to the floor. Orihime's eyes widened and widened to ever more round circles. Her mouth popped open. She wanted to choke out some protest, but couldn't form the words.

When he was only wearing underwear, just like her, he boldly neared the bed, and without further ado, he just slipped in next to her. Orihime squeaked: she was just starting to rebuild some warmness, and he was all frozen now! But she felt ashamed of herself a moment later. Of course he was freezing, freezing because of her! She felt him pull her closer, and she snuggled up to him too, wanting to share the little warmness she had.

When she was firmly pressed to his side, Ichigo sneaked a hand under her head, raising it a little, and lifting the bottle to her lips.

'What's this?' she asked distracted.

'Don't ask. Just drink!'

She reluctantly took a sip. As soon as the liquid touched her mouth, she whined.

'Oww! It burns!'

'Keep drinking!' he ordered.

'I don't want to!' she protested.

Ichigo unexpectedly captured her lips again in a rough kiss. Orihime found that his lips were burning from the same taste.

'If you can stomach wasabi-coffee, than you can bare this! Drink! It's a medicine against cold! I don't want you to end up seriously ill, on top of everything else!' he said, still sternly.

Orihime gave up protesting after this. She took a large gulp, and choked it down. Ichigo drank again after her, before putting the bottle down. He pulled Orihime close, half covering her body with his own. He made sure the quilts were covering both of them properly. He arranged his arm across her bare stomach, hugging her possessively. His head was buried in the crook of her neck, his hot breath nuzzling her.

Orihime was very tense, a jumble of tight knot muscles. It was half the effect of the cold, and half of embarrassment. She knew Ichigo must be really-really angry with her, but that wasn't what was troubling her. She felt that she more than deserved that this time... What didn't let her relax, was the feeling, of some incomprehensible distance between them, despite the physical closeness. Ichigo seemed to be in a rather unfamiliar mood, one that she couldn't fully make out in her current state. To be honest, it scared her a little. She felt like she was missing something...

The cold slowly retreated, her limbs starting to warm up. Their bodies warmed each other, and all the heat was captured and held inside the tent of blankets for them. She hardly shivered any more. It took Ichigo making her drink two more times, until she began to feel somewhat comfortable. But she still kept shifting nervously.

'Relax, Orihime!' she heard Ichigo's voice murmur into the pillow next to her ear. 'And try to get some sleep.'

'I... Ichigo?' she called uncertainly. It still felt weird to call him like that, but something told her it would be a big mistake to go back now. She wanted to look into his eyes again... she didn't know why but she felt that would console her. He raised his head, like he had felt her need, and looked at her, with his deep brown eyes, which she loved so much. She could discern the tiredness in them, but also that hard edge, that was the cause of her worries.

'I'm so sorry Ichigo. I've been... careless.' she said.

The expression in his orbs softened, becoming almost tender. There was a friendly light shining in the depth of them. Friendly and familiar. This was what she was missing. This light, that she had already seen there before, many-many times... Only now, she was finally able to unravel it...

She smiled. She was too tired to feel anything else at the moment, than relief. She felt all the tension leave her, and she was able to melt completely into his hold. Feeling this, he smiled, and bent down to kiss her again, only chastely. And this time, she returned it.

'Go to sleep, Hime.' he said gently.

She smiled again, and closed her eyes, like an obedient little child. She felt safe...

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: First, I'd like to say, that this chapter was written about a month or so ago... I work like that: when a scene moves me, I just sit down to write it, even if the story is not as far as that yet. _

_Next, I want to thank you for your reviews, and the clear impatience in them, which gives me the impression, that you're enjoying the story! _

"_nypsy": I'm sorry, but I just totally enjoy Ichigo in the role of the shining hero... What can I say? (total fangirl...) And I wanted to break Orihime's stubbornness spectacularly. (They say that I'm a stubborn girl too :-)) I hope the cuddling scene makes up for everything! And I plan on writing a scene showing a strong Ori later... _

"_luversblues": Of course she fell in the lake! What do you think it was there for in the first place? LOL! You're really good, guessing that! _

"_DeathBerryLover1995", "kitjos": I think it was actually something more than "girlfriend" (I don't really like that term anyway), and what shocked Ichigo was, that he couldn't even put it into words..._

_Now, I've been a really good, reliable writer, updating when I promised, right? Think I deserve some more reviews? Please?_


	18. New bases

_Chapter 18_

New bases

Orihime woke up, her consciousness returning only slowly. She felt warm... So warm, like she had fallen asleep on the beach, lying on the sun-warmed sand. Her hands moved a little, wanting to feel the grains under her palms. But it was something else she felt. Her fingers brushed against soft, smooth surface. Silky skin. And the smell... she knew this smell...

She opened her eyes properly. She jerked back reflexively, as reality hit her. She sat up fast, and the move made the quilts slide down from her form. The turban of towel slipped from her head, and her still damp locks fell down to her bare shoulders. She shivered. That was when she realized, that she was practically naked. That didn't do much towards putting her at ease! She quickly secured her arms around herself, to cover the most "sticking out" parts.

'It's no use!' a voice informed her, sounding a little amused.

She looked down with horror, to see that Ichigo's eyes were wide open, and he was looking at her directly, without any trace of shame. He reached out, and pulled her back to his bare chest, kissing the top of her head.

'Good morning!'

Orihime obeyed the gentle violence, but she was confused. Memories of last night slowly started to return to her, bringing even more emotions with them. She remembered having fallen in the lake, and Ichigo saving him. She remembered cuddling with him under the quilts... but she didn't know whether she remembered everything...

'What do you mean "no use"?' she asked fearfully, involuntary tremors shaking her voice.

He laughed quietly.

'Covering yourself.' With a confident move, he flipped them over, so that she was pinned under him. Orihime blushed heavily. His hand began a teasing caress of a route up her shoulders, around her neck, and finally going down again, inside the wally of her breasts. 'I've spent the whole night practically plastered to you... you can say that I've already seen... felt everything!'

Orihime stiffened.

'I'm not gonna pretend any more, Hime.' he declared, the taunting edge disappearing completely from his tone now. 'I'm not gonna pretend I don't care! I'm not gonna pretend I don't want to hold you in my arms, or touch you, or kiss you! Because I do! I do so damn much! And if you are not ok with that, I guess you have to tell me. Right now, and quite clearly! Because... I'm sorry, but otherwise, I just don't have the strength left to release you...'

Orihime felt her cheeks heat up even more. This was definitely nothing like she had ever imagined, when she though about how it would be if Ichigo ever confessed to her... But no matter how wrong the situation was, she could only think of one thing to reply to his words:

'Don't release me...'

Hearing this, Ichigo swooped down, pressing his eager lips against her hesitant ones. He dominated the kiss easily, hearing blood pond in his ears all the while, drumming a victory song for him. He only drew back, when she was gasping for air underneath him. He smiled contently, before bending down to kiss the delicate skin of her neck instead.

'I had feelings for you for a long time now...' he admitted, in a quiet murmur against her skin. Last night's almost tragedy changed something inside him. It was easy now for him to speak to the girl about his feelings, because he had finally admitted them to himself... that had been the hard part!

'Only... I thought I could protect you better if I don't admit to these feelings... But that's not true any more. I know: if I continue to lie, to you and to myself, then I'll just end up failing because of that. Like last night...'

'You didn't fail...'

'It was a narrow miss. And I'm sorry.'

She blinked.

'For what?'

'For being a jerk yesterday.' he lifted his head, and looked her in the eyes. 'Can you forgive me?'

'Oh... of course... but you wasn't...'

'Yes I was. But I never meant any of it, I was just angry. I felt like you were pushing me away... I felt rejected, and it hurt!'

Orihime gasped: she had felt the same way! And it had been terrible! She never would have guessed she could have hurt him like that...

'Oh, Ichigo!' she cried, and embraced him closer, her two arms tightening around him.

Ichigo relaxed against her, putting his head down, burying it in the crook of her neck, but supporting part of his weight with his arms so as not to crush her.

'I love you...' he mumbled.

Orihime was speechless. Not only he said those words (after what she saw in his eyes last night, they were not THAT surprising to her any more, but she never thought he would actually say them) but also he had said them with a familiar causality, without any shyness or embarrassment. She cleared her throat.

'I love you too... I have for a long-long time now...'

Ichigo raised his head again, and looked at her with a huge smile.

'How long?' he asked.

'… LONG!' she giggled.

Ichigo grinned, but then it vanished, and he said more seriously.

'I guess I felt that deep down... but you always seemed so... hesitant. Needing me, then pulling back... You confused me!'

'I'm sorry! I guess I was a little afraid.'

'Afraid from me?'

'No!' she shook her head quickly.

'From what?'

'Erm... from rejection. I never guessed you felt the same way. And I didn't want to ruin our friendship. And I was afraid of... er...'

'Closeness?' he asked, his eyes shining knowingly.

She blushed. He cupped her face, and caressed her chin with his thumb.

'Yes.' she breathed.

'And are you still afraid of that?'

'No...'

'That's good!' he smiled.

'Ichigo...' she said, her happiness overflowing. It slowly started to sink in: something irrevocably changed between them, for the good. They both confessed, that must mean they were a pair now...

'God how I love hearing you say my name!'

Ichigo kissed her again, and she returned it. She was clumsy in her eagerness, crashing their teeth together, and surely bruising his lips. But he didn't seem to mind.

'Oh, I'm sorry! I guess I'll need some practice in... kissing.' she said, feeling mortified.

He chuckled.

'I'm a lucky guy then... 'cause I would like nothing better than to practice this...'

They kissed again, Orihime being more cautious, studying the way he did it, and trying to mimic it. She knew she was on the right track when she felt his arms shake, and hear him pulling in a gasping breath. He tasted amazing. Even conquered red been paste. Easily. And the feel of his tongue brushing hers... she was embarrassed even thinking about these things, but it felt really amazing. She was lost...

Then he pulled back.

'Ichigo?' Orihime looked up at him confused.

His eyes were closed, and he looked strangely strained for a moment, but when he looked at her a second later, he was smiling again.

'Your hair is still a little wet. I'm gonna bring you the hairdryer. And then we can have breakfast. I'll prepare it today!' he stated, starting to climb out from their cozy nest.

But Orihime was not ready to let him go just yet. She grabbed his arm and held him back. He raised an eyebrow. She blushed.

'Ichigo... This is not a dream, is it?'

At first he was at a loss how to react, but then he laughed. He leaned in, and kissed her again.

'You are so absurd sometimes! No. It's real. Want me to pinch you?'

She giggled back.

'No... I think I got the message...'

oOoOoOoOo

When Ichigo was done with the breakfast, he went to search for Orihime again. He found her standing near the window (dry, and dressed properly), looking out on the lake that bathed in the morning lights. Her fists were balled up, and her posture stiff. Ichigo neared her cautiously, putting a hand around her shoulder. He studied her face: she looked angry.

'What is it?' he asked her.

'I just realized something. I was SO stupid! I could have used my new shield to get out of the water! I could have saved myself all along! But what did I do instead? I almost drowned myself, and forced you to rescue me again! I... I... just how pathetic I can get?'

Ichigo's hold on her tightened.

'You're not pathetic.'

She looked up at him suspiciously, narrowing her beautiful eyes.

'You already thought about this, didn't you?'

'Well... yes.' he admitted, looking slightly uncomfortable.

'You were right after all! I'll never be a useful partner to you! I'm so weak!' she ranted, feeling angrier than ever. But she was only angry at herself, not at him.

'See here, Orihime...' Ichigo started cautiously. 'You are being too hard on yourself. You've just learned this new technique. It takes time to really use it like it's second nature. I knew your move was not ready for being used in a real situation yet... For one thing, you still don't have a name for it. Give yourself some more time! Don't be so impatient. You can be proud of yourself for all the hard work you've put in so far!'

But she pulled herself away from his grip, still angry.

'You always learn new things, and can use them instantly! I've seen it!' she protested with a pout. 'You even learn during a battle, and put the new moves to action instantly!'

He sighed, and pulled her back close despite her struggling.

'It's hardly fair comparing yourself to me in that field.'

'Why?'

'You know every people is talented in different things. Like some people become swimming or running champions, while others shine in playing chess. The swimming champion could learn chess, but he would have to put in twice as much work to be half as good as the other. And it's also true the other way around. I'm simply good with this. You could say it's in my blood. But that doesn't make me superior, or anything. It can even be a burden sometimes... I learn faster, and then I'm left to deal with the strain the new knowledge puts on me, on my body and mind. I learned bankai in three days, when it usually requires 10 years. I did it, because there was no other way, but I almost died trying. I sometimes wish that I could be a little more... well, normal.'

Orihime looked at him sadly.

'You are so strong... and I'm always a burden to you...'

He scowled, his grip tightening on her.

'I thought we were already through this: you are not a burden! And you are not weak!... In fact, I think that you are much stronger than me, in some things...'

Orihime looked up confused.

'What things?'

Ichigo bit his lip, clearly thinking to put his thoughts into words.

'It's something that Rukia taught me. About how there were different kind of strength. It takes much to stand up proud, and protect your friends, but maybe it takes even more to be just there for them, being ready, and see them struggle through it... You know last night... I... for a few moments I really thought that I would lose you... I was so scared. Desperate. I didn't know what to do... I felt helpless.'

Orihime melted to his side, her hands rubbing his back soothingly, because his voice was full of sincere pain.

'Have you ever felt like this?' he asked.

Orihime smiled sadly.

'A thousands of times. When ever you, or Sado-kun, or Ishida-kun or any of my other friends got hurt...'

'That's what I thought. And you still call yourself weak! When this is the hardest thing to do! I can't even imagine how strong you must be, to bare all this! And I know we probably don't say it like we should, but we are really grateful to you, Chad, Ishida, and me too.'

Orihime thought about everything he said, but she still frowned.

'That's all very nice, but still... I must be strong enough to at least defend myself, so I could be "there for you" without you having to worry about me!'

Ichigo scowled again.

'You can forget that right away: I'll always worry about you! There is nothing you can do about that. If you'd learn... erm... let's say: a new bankai-like power making your skin granite strong, with laser beams shooting out of your eyes, I would still worry!'

Orihime suddenly started laughing. She laughed so hard, that she had to hold on to him so as not to let herself fall down...

'I'm sorry! But this just reminded me of an art project that I drew back in our first year! It was titled: my future self! And I drew myself as a missile-shooting robot! A "mecha-Hime"!' she said, struggling to get the words out amidst giggles.

'Mecha-Hime?' he asked, a little revolted by the idea.

'So you would even worry about me, if I turned into a mecha robot?'

'Yes. And I would do anything to keep you safe. Though... I like this present form better to tell you the truth...' he said, lowering both his hands to the sides of her hips, and pulling her closer again, with a grin.

Orihime smiled.

'What can I say... I guess I'll just have to accept that. My Ichi-Go...'

oOoOoOoOoOo

The film's ending credits were running over the screen, illuminating the otherwise dark room. But the newly made pair on the couch didn't move. They were cuddled up too comfortably, enjoying each others presence and warmness, with her plastered to his side, resting her head on his shoulder, and him having an arm around her. Only when the last white line disappeared, and total darkness fell on them, did Ichigo sigh.

'I think we better go to sleep now... Bathroom?'

'You first!' Orihime answered. 'I need to get my things.'

Ichigo gave her a swift kiss, before entangling himself from their embrace. Orihime watched him go with a strange mixture of emotions. Even with him only being a room away, she missed him. She was so happy, she didn't want this best of days, the day that made them to be together, to end. They hadn't done anything special that day, only the usual things, but both of them had smiled much, and they had talked much, had laughed much... They had also kissed much... And what ever they had done (even studying) there had been this warm, caressing air between them, that couldn't be compared to anything.

When she was in the bathroom, changing into her pajamas, some thoughts entered her head, that made her a little nervous. Sure, they would go to sleep... but how? She knew what she wanted... She had already slept with him, hadn't she? What's more: she had slept with him almost naked... The couch just seemed too far from his mattress for her liking. But... what would he say?

She went inside the living room, her steps hesitant. She stopped before the beds, clasping her hands together behind her back, and rocking to and for on her feet from embarrassment. Her gaze wandered in the room first, but she felt that he was looking at her, so she collected her courage, and looked at him. She noticed that he looked a little flushed too, but he chanced a shy little smile.

That was enough for Orihime. She found herself rushing forward, almost jumping into his arms. Ichigo welcomed her gladly, embracing her close, and pulling her under the covers. It took a while until they both fell asleep that night, but apart from silently murmured "Good Nights" they didn't speak more.

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: Hope you liked this. I like the confession part, and also the ending, I only have a little doubt about the middle. Seems like not everything I wanted to put there made it in the end. But hey, I think we still have about 6 or more chapters, we'll see. Maybe I'll take a little break from this story (don't worry, not that long, only to work on other stories) but I'll be back! (And: I'm SO curious what Kubo Tite has for us this week! I'm all for another time-skip: that gives us fanfiction writing addicts some room to work with .-))_

_Please review!_


	19. The best things in life

_A/N: Hi, anyone still interested in this story? You still remember it? Huh! I'm glad then... I'm not gonna apologize for lazing off all this time, for it would have been a crime spoiling this story, when I had no inspiration (writer's block). Anyway, here's chapter 19, nice and long, with insane amount of fluff stuffed in it, to please you readers! And "melnel", you won't have to "hunt me down", for I will most definitely finish this story!_

_Chapter 19_

Best things in life

Orihime was just pushing two slices of bread into the toaster, when suddenly she felt two hands sneak up around her belly. She screamed a little, just because of being startled, but the sound turned to laughter halfway.

'Good morning!'

'Kuro... Ichigo! You've scared me!' she said. Her cheeks were slowly turning crimson. 'I thought you were still asleep! You're ruining the surprise!

'What surprise?' he asked, mumbling into her neck, which made her skin tickle in a delicious way and her legs tremble a little under her.

'I... I wanted to bring you breakfast into bed...' she said, shyness coloring her voice.

He chuckled.

'Really?'

She felt his warmness disappear, and tried not to show her disappointment when she turned to face him. She found that he had his back turned to her, heading back to the living room.

'Where are you going?' she asked a little confused.

'Back to bed! Can't say no to such an offer!

Orihime felt a big smile light up her face, as a giggle escaped her mouth. It took her only a few more minutes to make everything ready, and she went to meet him with a tray bearing two mugs of coffee, and toasts with jam, just like she had originally planned.

Ichigo was sitting up in bed (their bed by this point), grinning up at her broadly.

'You know, maybe we are runaway targets of a yakuza group, hiding in a damned forest for almost two months now, but I got to tell you, that at this moment I would trade with no-one in this world!

Orihime smiled back at him happily. She knelt down next to him, and he took the tray from her, placing it securely on the low little table next to them, but turning his attention back to the girl. He reached for Orihime's shoulders, and pulled her down with him. Their lips connected in a loving kiss before his head reached the pillow. Orihime kissed him back satisfyingly before she pulled back, still smiling, and saying.

'Neither would I!

He embraced her close, his hands caressing her back. She put her head across his chest, right over his heart, and just enjoyed the moment. Ichigo was rubbing circles at her shoulders first, that felt loving and intimate, but when his hands started going up and down on either side of her spine that evoked a feeling a little more 'hot'. Orihime found herself arching, pushing herself closer to him instinctively. He let out a throaty sound, that only excited her further, and his hands stilled, fingers digging into her skin slightly. His breath was ragged, as he began to push her back.

'Ichigo?' she asked with a cute pout of disappointment.

'Er... let's see that breakfast!' he declared in a wannabe cheery voice, that was laced with some foreign, but interesting strain. Orihime squinted her eyes suspiciously at him, and he blushed under her inspection. It was evident: he was embarrassed. And she was not as naive that she wouldn't know why...

'You don't have to do that, you know...' she said.

'Do what?

'Trying so hard to... hold back...' she answered, her voice dropping to a whisper, and her own cheeks lighting up. She lifted her hand, attempting to push him back, and resume their kissing. But Ichigo stopped her, scowl in place.

'Hime! You... you've got to know the effect you have on me!' he said seriously, and a little desperately. 'You... you're driving me crazy!' he blurted out almost angrily, like an accusation.

She giggled, looking at him lovingly.

'Silly... of course I do! Because... Is it really so incomprehensible that YOU have the same effect on ME?'

Ichigo's eyes went round with a totally cute expression of bafflement. Orihime started giggling again, seeing it. Looked like it HAD been incomprehensible... Well, at least now she had mended that!

'Ichigo... I love you! I'm sure of our love for each other. I'm not afraid. Maybe I'm not yet ready for everything... but I trust you! It's with you that I want to know how love FEELS like! And I know we'll get there with time.'

'Orihime...' Ichigo said, feeling powerful emotions surge through himself. 'I love you too... and I'm sure of it too!'

'We don't have to hurry, but you don't need to treat me like a... like a...' Orihime was searching for words.

Ichigo grinned.

'Like a princess? I'm sorry, but that's the only way to treat you!' he joked. 'But more seriously: it's my job to protect you now. That's what I'm here for. That's what I promised Ishida and the others. To protect you from everything, including myself. You've never chosen to come here with me...'

'But...'

'Even if you had nothing against it, you didn't choose it. Our circumstances are a little... well not little, in truth they are hugely unordinary! Even messed up! I've been determined to keep my distance from you, but then... we just jumped into this relationship, like you jumped into the lake!'

'I didn't...'

'All right, all right... so we FELL into it! Maybe you feel just as sure about our relationship as I do, but I just want you to be able to CHOOSE me. If you've already been in that position, and made your choice, then I will be secure... I know that the circumstances didn't make us love each other I probably have loved you for a long time before we even came here but they certainly made us progress fast. I know that if we were back in Karakura, leading our normal lives, we would take things more slow and rational. I would walk you home from school, hold your hand, or I don't know, maybe even buy you flowers...

Orihime started giggling.

'Is this your obligatory list for new couples?'

Ichigo frowned lightly.

'I was being serious! For haven's sake! I've never even took you out on one freaking date! That just can't be right!'

Orihime suddenly jumped in his arms, looking excited.

'Oh! Oh! Please! Take me out on a date now!'

Ichigo looked confused.

'Take you on a date? Now?'

'Yes!'

Ichigo laughed, embarrassed and self conscious.

'How? I mean... All right... I'll think of something.'

Orihime quickly elaborated on her thought to put him at ease.

'It doesn't have to be anything special! Maybe a walk around the lake. That's enough... But let's do something together, and let's agree it's a date! A first date!

Ichigo grinned. His girlfriend was sure easy to please, but he vowed he would do better. She really deserved it, and thankfully, a few ideas already popped into his head, and he was really starting to like the idea of this "date".

'All right. I'll take you on a date today!'

'Really? Oh, I'm so excited!'

'Then let me ask you out properly. Orihime Inoue, will you come to a date with me this afternoon?

She giggled, then kissed him on the cheek lightly.

'I'd love to!'

…...

Orihime took a last look at her reflection in the mirror inside the upstairs room. She nodded. She looked decent enough, with her freshly washed hair, the most elegant pullover she currently owned and jeans... Not a very flashy outfit for a date, but she didn't really have anything more suitable, and anyway, Ichigo had told her to dress for the cold weather outside, as his plans included outdoor activities. She was really curious, because he didn't tell her much besides that in advance. She couldn't wait to find out what her new boyfriend had in store for them for their important "first date".

'Ichigo! I'm ready!' she cried, running down the stairs, taking two at a time and almost tripping in her own foot in her excitement. But Ichigo wasn't in the room downstairs. She looked around, and noticed that the bathroom door was open, and the light was on inside. She went closer.

'Ichigo?' she called again. She found him standing in front of the mirror, wearing an expression that she haven't seen on him for a while: a mean scowl. 'Something wrong?' she asked, concern coloring her voice.

'Yeah. Ridiculous! Just ridiculous...' he murmured as an answer.

'Er... what is?'

'What?' he asked incredulously, the anger in him bursting forth. 'My hair, that's what! Just look at it! A complete joke!

Of course Orihime saw him every day, she didn't need to take a new look. It warmed her heart to see his hair's original, beloved, orange color starting to grow back, but she had to admit it did look a little weird, with the top orange, and the rest black. What's more, it was starting to get almost as long now as when she found him after his fight with Aizen. It constantly fell into his eyes, irritating him. He had just ignored it until now, but it looked like their date made him a little more self-conscious. Orihime had to smile at this thought. This proved to her more than anything how seriously Ichigo was taking this. Just like her...

'I would probably look better shaving it off completely!' Ichigo fumed further.

'Er... no. I don't think so.' Orihime answered, a little alarmed at the thought.

'At the very least, it needs a good trim! We'll just find a pair of scissors, and you can do it! We still have time...'

'Ichigo! I'm no hairdresser!' Orihime cried, even more alarmed. 'Besides, it's not THAT bad... I kind of got used to it now...'

'Aha! Here's one!' Ichigo cried triumphantly, not heading her protest in the least, and holding up a big pair of scissors. He wanted to give it to her, but she didn't move. 'Come on! Let's get this over with quickly, so we can concentrate on our date!'

Orihime pouted.

'I refuse!

Ichigo scowled back disapprovingly. He hesitated for a second.

'All right... then I'll just do it myself!'

He turned back to the mirror.

'No! Please! You can't!

'Why not? It's my hair!'

'But... you'll just look more ridiculous... like an orange hedgehog!' Orihime cried desperately.

He flinched. The scissor stopped halfway to his head, and he turned back to send her a real mean expression.

'So you admit it. I do look ridiculous!

Orihime started waving her hands before herself in embarrassment.

'No! No! That's not what I meant!

Ichigo paused a little, considering her. He finally sighed.

'All right. If you can tell me at least three good reason for why I shouldn't cut it, I'll just leave it...'

Orihime brightened.

'I'll tell you five! Or ten!' she said enthusiastically.

Ichigo couldn't help smiling.

'I'm listening...

'Well... I think not wanting to look like an orange hedgehog counts for one... Second, it's winter, so you can just put your hat on, and nobody will see it anyway. Plus, it helps keeping your head warm!'

She could see in his frown that her argument still wasn't strong enough for him, so she quickly racked her brain for more.

'Third... it's like you had two different heads at one time! Cool, isn't it?'

'Only you could think that's cool...' Ichigo muttered, shaking his head.

'In truth I really can't wait for the orange to grow back completely... I've missed it. But I see the black on it as something showing how much you've sacrificed for protecting me, so even though it may look weird to everyone else, when I look at it, I feel a little... well... proud. Proud of the strength of your feelings for me.'

She was so concentrating on forming her thoughts into words, that she didn't even notice that Ichigo was now staring at her open mouthed, a little color creeping on to his cheeks.

'Also, I really think you should save it's cutting to when we're able to return home. Then it could be a wonderful token of "our trials finally being over"! she added, putting up a finger dramatically. 'Then there's the fact that I just love running my fingers through your hair while we're kissing!'

She said this last point so matter of factly in her rush of finding new reasons, that she forgot to reflect on this being something she would usually be embarrassed to admit. In consequence, the color in Ichigo's cheeks intensified from slight pink into rosy red. He looked away to hide it, but she still saw, and this made her realize her own forwardness. She blushed too.

After a few seconds of embarrassed silence, Ichigo just grabbed her hand, and started to lead her out of the bathroom. The scissors was left next to the tap, forgotten.

'Where are we going.'

'To our date, of course, Silly!'

'That means I won? You won't cut it?'

He sighed.

'If that is any victory...'

'Yeay!'

Ichigo scowled, and released her hand to be able to he put his jacket and thick winter-hat on, pulling the latter's brim as down as it would go...

Orihime was definitely in high spirits, as the car drove out with them from the forest lane to the road that lead to the nearest village. Ichigo was thorn between annoyance and amusement, as she was still continuously suggesting new benefits for his hair's current messy state.

'… it also matches your bankai, you know!'

'You already had your win... Don't mess with me!'

'Mmm... it reminds me of caramel filled chocolate... Yummy!'

'Hmph!'

'If we do some voodoo magic, maybe it will give you the power of a tiger!'

'Ah... this just gets more and more humiliating!'

'I know, I know! The ultimate reason! Now everyone will be forced to acknowledge that orange really is your natural color!'

Ichigo was forced to laugh at this.

'You know, that might be a valid point... I don't even understand now why I never though of dying my hair for this reason alone ages ago!'

Since Ichigo became considerably more cheerful after this, Orihime finally abandoned the subject and turned her attention to their plans instead.

'Where are you taking me?' she asked interested.

Ichigo frowned.

'You look so put on... I told you it was nothing special. I bet you'll be disappointed...'

Orihime giggled softly.

'How could I be? I've never been on a date before in my entire life, so I have nothing to compare to!'

Ichigo smiled.

'The benefit of a first date!'

'Besides I'll be with you. I don't need anything more than that.' Orihime said simply.

They smiled at each other briefly, Ichigo returning his attention back to the road.

'Well... you know that my every prior knowledge from this neighborhood comes from the time Mizuiro brought us here. And that's not much. But he did tell us a story about there being a shrine up on one of the mountains, which was a general favorite visiting place for couples. As the story goes, a lonely monk used to live there in a nearby cave, who remained faithful to his first love's memory, even though she died young, and never loved after...'

'How sad!' Orihime exclaimed, much moved.

'The monk found solace in the nearness of nature, made friends with its inhabitants, and prayed for his love every day. They say that he wanted to live up on the mountain to be closer to her spirit in Heaven. And that on windy days, the clouds would whisper to him in her voice.'

Orihime seemed totally mesmerized by his words. Her mouth was hanging open, and her eyes teary.

'Beautiful!'

Ichigo chanced a sideways look, and grinned.

'Yeah, Mizuiro did tell us how this story was able to put "every girl in the mood"... And the fact that he was a master in telling it!'

'Ichigo!' Orihime cried indignantly, shaken out of her trance.

He laughed.

'I'm sorry! I don't know about the story, but the shrine is real, and I'm sure it offers a great view! And we've just arrived. We'll go on foot from here!' he declared, parking the car, and stopping the engine.

He looked at Orihime, who was still pouting slightly.

'Don't sulk...' he said gently, giving a warm peacemaking kiss to her cheek. 'It doesn't suit you. I promise to be on my best behavior from now on. But you have to admit you deserved this for calling me "orange hedgehog"!'

Ichigo was easily forgiven after this and they began their walk up the twisting and turning narrow path that lead up the mountain to the shrine. It was really steep. Here and their even steps were built into the rocky ground to ease the mounting, and there were guards at places where the cliffs ended in a cleft. There were also several resting places on the way for the weary, with benches to sit on. It was easy to see why this place must be a general favorite: it was beautiful, even in the winter. The sheer beauty of the moth-covered cliffs, and the ancient trees growing out from seemingly no soil at all, grasping at the rocks with their roots. Orihime was reminded of the time they had climbed that hill on their very first day here, and found that despite whining about it much back then, she was now fond of the memory.

Halfway up, Orihime spotted something that made her stop.

'Look!'

'What is it?' Ichigo asked.

'There... Snowdrops! Must be the firsts of the season!' she said, pointing to the little bunch of flowers growing out from under the melting snow, not far from their path.

'Yeah. I guess this hillside faces southwards... it does feel more warm up here than down in the valley! Wait here for a minute!' Ichigo said, and he just ducked under the guard, leaving the path to go examine from closer. He returned, smiling, bringing Orihime one flower.

'Here... for you.'

Orihime's eyes widened. She took the little snowdrop, and ran her fingers gently over it's delicate scape. Finally she took off her hat, and secured the flower to it's front with a happy smile.

'Thank you!'

Ichigo grinned, and leaned to her ear, whispering:

'There! I can tick out the flower thing from my "obligatory list for new couples"!'

They both laughed.

Arriving to the top, they indeed found the simple, but dignified shrine, and just as Ichigo promised, the place offered a splendid view of the surrounding landscape. There were a few more benches placed there, and they sat on one of them, resting. Ichigo put an arm around her, and embraced her close against the cold. He surprised her with his thoughtfulness when he magicked a chocolate-bar and a bottle of water out of his coat's pocket, and they shared it. He warned her no to eat too much chocolate though, as he planned to treat her to dinner later...

They couldn't sit on the bench for long though because of the cold, not even being huddled up close. They went to explore some more, and found the infamous cave of the monk from the story a little further on.

'We should head back to the car now... You know how early it's starting to get dark.' Ichigo said, when Orihime came out of the cave a little after him. She noticed that he was standing on top of a rock, for a better view. And again, she was reminded of their previous mountain-climbing, and that moment when he had climbed up a rock then... She had been dreaming of a kiss then... A kiss she thought she would never have.

Ichigo wanted to climb down, but she stopped him.

'Wait!'

He arched an eyebrow at her questioningly, but stayed, and when she began to climb up next to him, he gave her a helping hand. Soon she was standing next to him, having his arm around her waist.

'I... I just...' she began hesitantly.

Ichigo was slightly confused by her sudden embarrassment. Her hand traveled up to cup his face clumsily, pulling it down. Catching on to her wishes quickly, he scooped down to kiss her, and felt her melt into him instantly, with a grateful little sigh.

'What was that for?' Ichigo asked with a happy smile after they parted.

Orihime smiled back.

'To prove a point.'

She just jumped down from the rock, and waited for him to follow. And though Ichigo didn't really understand her answer, something told him it was all right to leave it at that. As they started their slow descent on the little path, hand in hand, Orihime reflected on how she was no longer the insecure, helpless and weak Orihime she used to be... thanks to his love.

…...

He took her to the little village's only decent restaurant for dinner, and they enjoyed it much. There was a merry bunch of local regulars assembled there, who were already a little drunk and were singing country-songs in loud voices. Apparently they were celebrating one of their member's birthday. The man of the day even asked Orihime for a dance, but since he must have been 70 or something, with no ill intentions, even Ichigo could smile watching them turn, Orihime trying her best to keep her wobbly companion upright. The landlady kindly offered them a free round of wine after that, which she quickly changed to an offer of free desserts, when they politely refused saying that they were driving... The meal was great, and they could be around kind people, chat with them, smile with them, laugh with them.

In the end, they stayed much longer than they originally intended to. The sky was already completely dark as they headed back to the house with the car.

'What a day!' Orihime sighed contently. 'I'm sure I'll never-ever forget it!

'I'm glad.' Ichigo said.

They had parked the car, and were now slowly walking towards the house. Orihime pulled on his arm a little to make him stop.

'Look! Even the moon is shining bright tonight! Such a clear, beautiful night-sky!... Will you choose a star with me?'

Ichigo smiled.

'Sorry, I can't.'

'What?... Why not?'

'Because my star can't possibly be up on the sky right now... The star "Orihime" only shows in the summer. I'm sure mine is the closest one to her.'

Orihime blushed, and she clung close to him, pure happiness overflowing in her heart. She never though he would say something so romantic... She turned her attention to the now familiar outline of the little wooden house, and felt her heart gave a large thump.

'Speaking about closeness...' she began shyly.

'Yes?

She gave a big sigh. She tried to compose a sentence which wouldn't result in embarrassing herself or him.

'Well... You know, ever since we've arrived here, there was not a day without me wishing this was already over, and we could return to Karakura. Not that I was uncomfortable or anything, but I just missed the place... and our friends. But right now... I feel like... I could still stay for a while. Is that selfish of me? I think I've grown attached to the place!'

Ichigo lauhed.

'Yeah. I understand how you feel! It would be good to come back here in the future, without any pressure...'

Orihime smiled.

'Yes, exactly! But there's more. I mean... at home, I used to live alone. I was doing well, but... it's always better to have someone, isn't it? I'm so happy right now. Being this close to you... and only to you. And I just know that things will inevitably change once we go home... I know that change is not necessarily bad! Maybe it will even strengthen our relationship to be more apart, and face some everyday life. But... I'm just a little scared... About how things will be once we can no longer live under the same roof...

Ichigo stopped, and stepped before her, taking both her hands into his.

'Why not?' he asked seriously.

Orihime blinked.

'Eh?

'I mean... I don't want to be separated from you either...' Ichigo finished the sentence sounding a little uncertain.

It was an awkward moment. They avoided each others eyes, both blushing furiously. Silent seconds passed, with none of them speaking.

'Erm... you know what?' Ichigo asked slowly after some time. 'Maybe we should leave this discussion to a little later...' Then he grinned at her. 'This was only our first date after all!'

'Uh... ok...' she answered, smiling.

…...

Cozy darkness embraced them, with no sounds but the homy crackling of the fire. Orihime was lying on her back, and she could just make out Ichigo's silhouette, his head being popped up on one elbow. Some stray ray of light was caught by his eyes, making them smoldering, and she was completely mesmerized by the view. His hand was on her stomach, the fingers tracing dangerously sweet paths, occasionally brave enough to brush against bare skin through the gap between her pajamas's top and bottom.

She soon became frustrated... Impatient. Why wouldn't he touch her properly already? This was just teasing! She felt yearning. A burning, sweet torture. She couldn't bare it any more! She needed something more... More of him. She had never felt like this before. She guessed this must be how lust truly felt like.

She pulled on her own pajamas top to make it ride further...

Ichigo's hand froze for a second. Then he put it flat against her smooth skin. She shivered, and while he started caressing again, she worked to find the hem of his shirt too. At first she only wanted to sneak her hands under it, but in a sudden rush of confidence, she begin tugging at it, to bring it completely over his head. He allowed it, but she still needed help: the material got struck around his neck. When he was finally free, her hungry fingers almost flew to explore. She pulled him closer to feel his warn skin against her own. His weight was pinning her down, his hands holding hers, a delightful surrender, which she knew at once that she would grow to be addicted to. She didn't even know when they started kissing, only realized when she ran out of breath.

'Ichigo!' she moaned, breaking contact, and was only mildly intimidated by how wanton her own voice sounded.

'Hime...' he called her too, sounding like a thirsting man asking for water.

When he kissed her again though, it was less intense, rather tender, and she knew that he wouldn't go further that night. His weight was slowly being lifted off of her, as he raised himself, leaning on his forearms. He dropped his head back down, resting it on her generous chest, right between her two perfect round mounds. He inhaled her scent, slow and deep...

_'I'm so confused...'_ Orihime was thinking. _'I'm glad he's holding back and keeps protecting me. But at the same time, I just keep wishing for him to break... I can't help wondering how that would feel like... unguarded __passion__... We're dancing on an invisible edge. My body, my soul, everything feels it. The calling. The need. And the suspension... it just makes everything even more intense!...__He said that for proceeding with our relationship, he needed me to __choose him... But I can't do that, unless we return to Karakura. __I... I think I might need to take my previous statement back... The day for our return can't come too __quickly after all__!'_

...

'… nothing to do again this weekend! So dull! Everyone's neglecting me, and I swear it's on purpose! Chad said he has to work, but I don't believe a word of it! I'm sure he has some secret plans to hang out with his more cooler friends!'

'I don't think so Mr Asano. If you had a work too, you wouldn't be so bored, and could maybe make some money too, you know!' Mizuiro sighed.

'But that's just so boring and... GROWN UP!' Keigo whined with horror. 'I don't want to grow up just yet! I want to be young and carefree, and enjoy life! Besides, I'm sure the real reason Chad doesn't want to hang out with us, is because Ichigo's still missing! And Orihime-chan... I wonder when they'll come back...' he added more thinkingly.

The next moment his head was smashed into the table before him from behind.

'Don't talk about that in public, you dumbass!'

A few people from different tables of the little coffee-shop looked up at the sounds.

'Hi, Arisawa-san!' Mizuiro greeted cheerfully, as though nothing had happened, and he moved aside instantly, offering seat to the girl. Tatsuki sat down, still scowling at Keigo.

Mizuiro signaled for the waiter girl, and ordered a coke for Tatsuki too, who sent him a warning, suspicious look.

'You're not trying to hit on me are you, Kojima? I thought you were more clever than that...'

'Of course not.' Mizuiro replied calmly. Then he leaned closer to Tatsuki, and asked. 'I just wanted to ask whether there were any news...

Tatsuki frowned, but the suspicion disappeared from her eyes. She knew that Asano and Kojima were just as worried for their friends as she herself was. And they felt just as lonely walking each morning to school without Ichigo, as she felt without Orihime...

'Just the usual.' she finally told them reluctantly, as quietly as possible. 'But I suppose in this case no news is good news...'

'Agreed.' Miruiro said. 'But I have a problem. There is a message I need to pass on. My mother fortunately let it slip that she hired some workmen to check on the tiles of the roof, so they should expect that.'

'Ok, thanks for telling me, I'll make sure the message gets through!' Tatsuki smiled at him.

Mizuiro just nodded his head.

'Aha!' Keigo suddenly cried, with a triumphant edge to his voice. 'So that's it! And you've kept this from me!' His face beamed like a child's who's been offered candy.

Both Tatsuki and Mizuiro looked at him surprised. Their surprise quickly turned to alarm and anger: their hyper friend was being way too loud...

'So that's where you've hidden them! How come I didn't realize this before! Your mother's cottage in the forest, where you took us a year ago! Of course! The perfect place for hiding! I bet no-one...'

He could go no further, because at this point Tatsuki's fist smashed his nose in.

…...

Next morning, Tatsuki's phone rang. She looked at the number before picking it up, and an uneasy feeling took hold of her instantly.

'Yes Kojima?'

'We're in trouble. Tell Urahara-san to warn Ichigo immediately. Someone broke into our house during the night. They took nothing, but they found some papers concerning the house. They were clearly after information.'

Tatsuki's fingers curled around her phone in a tight grip.

'Stupid, worthless Asano!' she cursed vainly.

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: Who was it again, who wanted more action, with the bad-guys returning? "KurosakiCrystal18", it will be just as you requested! _

_It would mean the world to me, if you would let me know that you still support this story, so please, PLEASE review!_


	20. Danger returns

_Chapter 20 _

Danger returns

Sounds of delightful laughter and much chuckling filled the room, coming from under the quilts. The whole pile quivered, like a living, fat, curled up caterpillar, without a clear indication where it's beginning or end was...

Finally, a head emerged. Ichigo laughed some more at the sight of his beloved Hime above him: her hair was a tangled mess, resembling a bird's nest.

'Surrender?' Orihime asked him.

He only grinned.

'You wish!'

Hearing this, Orihime bent down to resume his tickling. He muffled his moans, and wrestled her to the bottom easily, preying her hands away from his easily attackable territories, and lifting them above her head. He bent down to kiss her... for the thousands time that morning. It was Orihime's time to moan, and she felt her control slipping: she knew she would soon forget her argument altogether, if she let him keep this up. So she quickly pushed her eager lover back.

'Mu! Ichigo! I mean it! It must be really late! We really should get up, if we don't want to end up spending the whole day in bed!'

'What's wrong with that?' Ichigo asked, in a playful, husky tone.

She giggled, and then put up a fake-suffering expression.

'But I'm hungry!'

He laughed.

'All right, all right... you win!' he got up, releasing her slowly and reluctantly. He went to search for their mobile, to see the time, but he found that he had forgotten to recharge the stupid device. It was totally flat. Really, they only used it once a week, it was no big surprise he had forgotten. And with their "date" the previous day, he just had other things on his mind...

'Hime? Where's the recharger?' he asked.

'Mmm... I think upstairs. That's where I last used it... I'll help you find it, but lets have breakfast first! I'm really starving!'

Ichigo smiled.

'Ok.'

...

'Jinta home ruuuun!' the red haired teen cried, waving the broom in his hands, with which he had just sent a bucket flying. The bucket landed with a loud chatter in a corner. Jinta looked up, grinning. But the grin vanished from his face a moment later to be replaced by mild annoyance, when he saw the newcomers enter the ally.

'Hey... I know you three!' he said, scowling, when Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo arrived within earshot. 'Aren't you the Berry-head's friends from school? What brings you here?'

'We have to speak to your manager immediately!' Tatsuki declared hastily. 'Go, fetch him!'

Jinta narrowed his eyes at her commanding tone.

'Sorry, I can't do that...'

Tatsuki's fists started to ball up.

'We're sorry... Urahara-san is out today.' another, more gentle voice added quickly from behind Jinta, and Ururu came forth to greet the friends. 'He left the shop to our care. Is there anything we can do for you?'

'Out? Today?' Keigo's horrified voice asked. 'Can't be!'

'Do you know where he went?' Mizuiro asked.

'Not anywhere you could follow!' Jinta snickered.

'But we have to speak to him! It's urgent! It's about Ichigo!' Tatsuki pressed, feeling desperate.

Ururu looked around, then put her broom away, and said.

'Come inside. I'll tell you what I know.'

…...

'I see...' Tatsuki sighed. 'So Urahara detected Kouno's spiritual pressure in Soul Society early this morning, and he went to counter him, taking Ishida-kun, Sado-kun and Kurosaki-san with him.'

'Yes.' Ururu nodded. 'He was anxious about it, he said it was fishy, that he never expected Kouno to just go after the bait-Ichigo himself, but all pressed him that this was the ultimate opportunity they've been waiting for, to get him at last. Urahara-san wanted to wait for Yoruichi-san's return, so that at least one of them could stay on this side with us, but since he was equally anxious about the mod-soul Kon's safety, as well as Kuchiki-san's, he just went in the end.'

Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro exchanged uneasy looks.

'This is not a coincidence! Right when after your house has been broken into...' Tatsuki said.

'I agree.' Mizuiro nodded.

'That guy sure must be something, to be able to trick Hat-and-Cloaks...' Keigo shook his head.

'I don't care how, but we must warn Ichigo immediately! Have you sent the message?' Tatsuki asked Jinta, who had the special mobile in his hand.

'Yeah. I tried to call again too, but the idiot's are still off-line!'

'That's no good.' Tatsuki declared. 'We have to go there ourselves.'

Mizuiro nodded immediately.

'Yes.'

Keigo's mouth fell open.

'What? You... you want to go find them? Alone? When probably half a yakuza group is on their trail, supernaturally powered ones among them?'

'Well it's your fault they've found out their hiding-place, isn't it?' Jinta frowned at the trembling Asano disgustedly. 'And you won't even go to warn them?'

'I never said I won't go...' Keigo sulked. 'It's just... I'm really not used to this stuff!'

Jinta looked like he was considering him. Finally, he went to a drawer and extracted something from it. He tossed it at the gawking Keigo. It was a set of keys.

'Take the boss's car. But you better return it in one piece, you hear me, Looser?'

…...

'How come this idiot gets to drive?' Tatsuki complained, when they were turning out to the main road. Mizuiro was looking over the boxes Jinta and Ururu have provided them with: they were all full of Urahara's merchandise the kids deemed would come in handy, from paralyzing-pastilles to kido-based shockers. 'Step on the gas some more, stupid Asano, or I'll really rip your head off this time!'

'I'll gladly give over the steering wheel, sis! It's not like I asked for this... Aaaaa! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die for sure! Where were the breaks again? Got to remember where are the breaks!... Return it in one piece! You've got to be kidding me!'

'Cool down Mr. Asano! You're doing this great!'

'Deal with it! Everything is your fault after all!' Tatsuki fumed. 'Now drive! And pray we get there in time...'

…...

Ichigo was almost done with his usual round around the lake. He expected the house to come into view after the next bend, or the one after that. Even though they've only been separated for half an hour or so, he already looked forward to seeing Orihime. She would give him a warm greeting smile, the one that always managed to melt his heart. There was nothing against it: he just had to admit to himself how head over heels in love he was with her. But – and he had to grin at the thought – this admission was no longer source of any embarrassment or pain, but rather of pride and happiness. They had already come far on the rocky path of a relationship, and what they had now was standing on solid foundations. With declaring their love for each other, and sharing the miracle of returned sentiments, they opened up a whole new chapter, a chapter that was fresh, exciting, and promising growth.

With such thoughts in mind, he was all calm and peaceful, despite the physical exercise. But suddenly he felt something, that made his attention turn outwards again. He slowed his pace unconsciously, changing to a walk. He saw some movement amongst the trees. He stopped completely, when two strangers came out of the shadows, walking right towards him.

'Hey! Finally we meet someone! Can you help us out, Dude? We're totally lost!' one of the men said.

Ichigo's posture relaxed somewhat, but his eyes remained narrowed in suspicion.

'We have a map. Could you just show us where we are?' the other man asked.

'Of course.' Ichigo answered.

He walked next to them, and peeked at the map. He didn't know where the uneasy feelings were coming from, he couldn't detect any particular spiritual pressure from these guys. Of course that in itself didn't mean they were harmless... But since he had so rarely conversed with anyone besides Orihime in the past months, he supposed it was understandable if he was starting to get unused to it.

As he wanted to point out their exact location, he happened to look up. His eyes accidentally connected with one of the men's. He had never been good at remembering faces or names. But he always remembered expressions, through the way he was able to read in them... So even though it had been quite dark that time, he recognized the man now. He needed a second more to place him in context correctly, as one of the man who had run off with Orihime and the bakery cook in that van. Unfortunately, that one second proved too much. Somebody – a third man – had sneaked up on him, and swung a heavy log, hitting his head. Ichigo staggered, and fell down. Miraculously, he managed to retrain consciousness, and tried to struggle against the hands pinning him down. He felt someone search his pockets.

'Is this thing it?' one man asked.

'What? I don't see anything!' another said.

'Then it is. Kouno said only I would be able to see it. And it has the skull and everything.'

Ichigo's hazy mind cleared somewhat hearing Kouno's name. It served like another, different kind of head-hitting. They've found them! Panic set in quickly. He had to do something... Then the other thing they had sad started to sink in. He couldn't believe it! These guys had taken away his substitute badge? They must try to prevent him from transforming! It seemed Kouno has managed to get his hands on at least some valid information concerning substitute soul reapers after all. Ichigo started struggling with fresh vigor, but received a painful kick in his ribs. Firm fingers dug into his hair, gripping tightly, and turning his head forcefully.

'So you're the one.' his torturer breathed into his face, and Ichigo was sure he had heard this voice before. He saw rat-like features, wild eyes, and a slightly deformed jaw...

'Good job everyone.' the man who had spoken first said. 'I'll take this to Kouno, and leave the rest to you here, Takeuchi!'

'My pleasure! This brat and I have a little unsettled matter between us!'

Ichigo felt himself be released. He struggled to stand up. There was much pain, and his head was still wooly. Takeuchi stood before him, grinning at his prey, and at least three others circled them. Takeuchi came at him kicking. His protective instincts worked, but he wasn't able to put the required strength into the move. He fell down again, hearing the watchers laugh. Takeuchi kicked him around a few more times.

_'Damn! I can't let this happen! I got to pull myself together! Got to go after my badge! They'll sure find Orihime too... if they haven't already...'_ he thought wildly. But this body was not a spirit body that he could just reinforce by concentrating his spiritual pressure. And when he did manage to get a counter blow in to Takeuchi, one of the other men gave him another swing with the log on his back as a reward.

'Still struggling to get up? How admirable!' Takeuchi taunted. 'I think we need to teach you a lesson before killing you, isn't that right, guys? But first things first...' he said, then stopped. Ichigo looked up weakly. Takeuchi pulled out an iron knuckle from his pocket, and slipped his fingers inside it. His hand balled up, and he delivered a great punch right into Ichigo's face. '… now we're even!' Takeuchi declared with wild satisfaction in his eyes.

Though Ichigo was certainly no stranger to pain, this was the first time he found out that "seeing stars" could be more then just a figure of speech. Takeuchi stepped back.

'Beat him up properly, boys!'

A few painful minutes later it felt like there was no intact bone left in his body... It was burning pain everywhere. He was hovering on the border of unconsciousness, still hanging on desperately.

'That's enough.' Takeuchi declared. 'Now throw his body down into that pit!'

'Boss... he's still conscious... wouldn't it be better...?'

'It's orders. He's the bait to lure out the girl. Then Kouno himself will come and deal with them.'

_'Orihime!'_ Ichigo cried desperately inside his head, but he was too spent to do anything. Hands seized him roughly again, hauling him to somewhere, and then he was falling into darkness. Literally and in a figurative sense.

...

_A/N: I just realized this chapter was ready, yet I never posted it... Maybe I had been a little unsatisfied with it, but now I did a reading-through, and some corrections, and here it is! Hope you enjoyed, and that you're put on, wanting to know how our beloved pair will get out of this one... _

_Poor Ichigo... I really made him have it bad again._

_Anybody else founds the idea of Urahara owning a car funny? :-) Somehow I just have to laugh imagining him behind a steering wheel, lol!_

_Please review!_


	21. Chapter 21: Grim choice

_Chapter 21 _

Grim choice

Orihime was singing a little nonsense-song of her own making while she was hanging out the freshly washed clothes to dry. Since she had been so hungry, Ichigo had told her not to wait for him with breakfast, so she had already eaten her peanut-butter and ketchup toast, with olives. Ichigo's mug of wasabi-free coffee was waiting for him on the table, along with the single leftover chocolate filled muffin which she decided to save for him, knowing how partial he was to them.

She smiled when the gray sweater that had the large strawberry on it's front came to her hand from the washed stock. It had really became her favorite, she hardly wore anything else inside the house. It was warm, fluffy, comfortably loose on her, and she simply loved it. The next item was a jeans of Ichigo that got a little muddy when he was chopping up wood in bad weather. Having been finished with the bigger clothing she could start untangling the wet pile of shirts, socks and of course underwear...

Looking back, it seemed so comical now how stressed out they had been about the washing of clothes at first when they started their living together with Ichigo. Though the house had a little washing-machine, they had opted not to use it first, but rather washed their things separately by hand to avoid coming across each others more private things. But then they had to acknowledge, that it was just way more easier to dump the lot into the machine, which could be filled with only both their laundry. Anyway, it's not like they had two separate bathrooms: what they washed had to be hanged to dry somewhere, so either way, the unavoidable was unavoidable. And it's not like her panties and bras could blush next to Ichigo's boxers while tumbling inside, she thought. She was just about to hang a sock up, when suddenly her hand stilled, and the notes of the merry little melody died on her lips. She sharpened her scenes, and focused her attention. She was feeling something...

Ichigo. He was close. But something was wrong. She could feel his spiritual pressure fluctuating slightly, signaling stress, but she couldn't feel the familiar outburst of his reiatsu that always accompanied his change to his soul reaper form. Orihime knew he must be in some kind of trouble, and became anxious, but with only this much information, her first guess was that he had just fallen down, or otherwise injured himself, she didn't read more into it.

She dropped the sock right back on the pile, ran to the coat-rack, quickly pushed her arms through her jacket, and headed out. Only then did she try to feel out with her spirit senses more to pinpoint his location exactly.

'Something's not right...' she murmured, stopping her running legs abruptly. 'Ichigo's not alone.'

She looked up as she saw movement coming from the bushes at her path's left. She was facing three approaching stranger men.

'Hiya, Beautiful!' said the tallest one, grinning confidently. 'Feeling alone? Feeling... lonely?'

She narrowed her eyes.

'I'm not alone.'

The men snickered at her.

'Don't lie. We already took care of Ginger. We KNOW there's no-one left to protect you.'

In time with his last words, the man jumped forward, wanting to catch her. Orihime recalled their karate practices with Ichigo that took place not far from that very spot, and she aimed a forceful kick for the man's lower region. A low, surprised and pained _'uh'_ sound told her it was a perfect hit.

But now the other two men started moving, cornering her. It took only a moment for her to decide: she had no time for playing more tag... Before the men's arms could take hold of her, she activated her newest power, and vanished into thin air. She reappeared a little farther into the forest, and hoped it was far enough for the greenery to conceal her. She could hear shoutings, probably the men's confused cries. She tried to move forward quietly, avoiding stepping on leaves and brunches, but she had to hurry. She had to find Ichigo.

It was no problem for her senses to feel him. She went closer, and closer, the concentration of his spiritual pressure growing steadily. But she could still see nothing. Where could he be? There was also no sign of more attackers. She guessed they must be Kouno's men. He must have found their hideout somehow. Rationally, there was a slim choice they were just random thugs, but her heart knew better. She had to be careful. Who knows how many of them are lurking near by? Next time, she won't be able to escape this easily.

'Whow!'

Her feet suddenly lost footing, and she only managed to steady herself by pulling herself back, and landing on her behind. She very nearly had fallen into some pit. There must have been some water pipes or something leading to the lake, and this was an inspection pit concealing an interlocking device which regulated the flow. Someone must have removed the pit's lid. She looked down into it's depth, suspicion awakening.

'Yes. Congrats. He IS down there.' said a cool voice.

Orihime quickly turned around.

'Knew you will come and search for him, so why trouble myself with going ahead of you.'

Orihime recognized the voice, recognized the face. The man had appeared so suddenly, and without any warning, like he had been standing there all along, only masking his presence somehow. Well, Orihime reflected quickly, after everything they've heard of him from Urahara, she really wouldn't put it past him. It was Kouno himself. He was standing above her, twirling something between his fingers, amused. She chanced a look: it was Ichigo's substitute badge! So it was not that he didn't want to transform, he simply couldn't. But how did Kouno get it? Not that it mattered much now. This promised no good... She tried to stand up, to have a better chance of defense, but another voice immediately cautioned her.

'Don't think of anything stupid... Don't even move an inch! I'm aiming right at your friend down there...'

Orihime looked, and saw Soga, one of the other men Ichigo had fought that night months ago, aiming a gun down into the pit's darkness.

'I must say you two kept me waiting for long enough, but now I will have my double revenge!' Kouno continued. 'How do you like the grave I have chosen? Not very picturesque, but the choice is SO limited around here. It's your fault, not mine! I would have liked a burning seven story building more... or an explosion. Fire always looks more dramatic in papers, you see, than the simple picture of the cold, gray, unrecognizably puffy faces of two drowned teenaged corpses. But it will have to do... What do you say?'

Meanwhile, Orihime's mind was wildly searching for a way of escape, but she could come up with nothing. She was really worried for Ichigo too. She guessed he must be unconscious, or otherwise, he would undoubtedly have done something by now. She hated to think about what they must have done to him to make him pass out...

'You seem to be rather distracted, Darling! Let me drag you back to the present.'

Orihime saw Kouno raise his long staff, but she could only pull in a surprised gasp, before it transformed with emitting shining light into it's sword-form. Even though she was told to stay put, she couldn't help slightly leaning out of range, and lifting her hand above her head protectively on instinct. The blade's tip reached her however, and she knew what this meant, even before she felt the first sweep of the burning pain rush upwards from the cut on her arm. She barred her teeth, trying to fight it. In her mind's eye, she recalled the picture of Ichigo's suffering face, when he had to fight the effects of Kouno's cruel weapon. Her eyes were stinging with tears of pain, but she kept herself upright, fighting the urge to just flung herself down on the ground, thrashing and screaming. Instead, she looked into the merciless eyes of the man before her. Kouno smiled evilly, only his mouth curving upwards, his stare remaining stone cold.

'That's it little girl. Feel the pain. Finally, I payed you back. A slash for a slash...' he said, absently rubbing the red line of the healed mark on the left side of his face that was the evidence of her Koten Zanshun attack against him. 'Now, I permit you to die!' he declared, with another humorless smile. 'Soga!' he commanded.

'Yes, master!'

There was the sound of a gun firing, and an explosion.

'No!' cried Orihime.

Soga moved, and nudged her. That was all it took: the immense pain have clouded her vision with large black spots by now. She could do nothing, she fell down into the pit, crying out. She heard some commanding voices from above her, but she didn't have any strength to try to understand the meaning. The next second, her vision darkened completely, but not from loosing consciousness, even though she longed to. She still felt the agonizing pain. Through the haze of her clouded mind, she realized that Kouno's men must have sealed the top of the pit, that's why it was pitch dark.

_'Stop! Stop! I don't want to feel this any more! Stop!'_ she cried inside her mind. _'I want this to stop! I reject!'_

She didn't need to say the words out loud, her powers obeyed.

…...

'… go! Ichigo... Ichigo! Come on! You've got to wake up!'

Ichigo reluctantly opened his eyes, with a pained moan. But opening his eyes made no difference: darkness greeted him all around, he couldn't see anything. Pain was pulsating suffocatingly in his whole body. He moaned some more in helplessness.

'Oh, I'm so sorry! But I can't see anything!' the girl's voice came again from somewhere next to him.

'Orihime?'

'Oh, Ichigo! What did they do to you? Tell me where to heal you!'

'Everywhere...' he choked.

His tone really scared Orihime. He sounded so weak! She tried to grope around in the darkness to at least feel his position better, but when her hands came in contact with him, he hissed. She pulled back immediately.

'Sorry!... It's just that I can't see a thing! All right, I'll have to try anyway. Stay still. Soten Kisshun!'

Ayame and S'huno flew out of her hairpins, forming the healing dome. Their shining light enabled them to see each other dimly. Even what she could see of him with only that much light was awful. Dark stains of blood obscured half his face, which was swollen to twice it's usual size. It was a few seconds before Ichigo started to feel some relievement, and could speak some more.

'What happened? Where are we?' he asked. 'And more importantly: are you all right?'

'Yes I am. They didn't do much to me.' Orihime lied to him quickly and easily. They had more important matters at hand to focus on. 'But we're trapped here, and if we don't do anything soon, then we'll be in trouble.'

Ichigo frowned, then winced, remembering that frowning was not a very good idea, not with the state of his face after the blow of Takeuchi even though it was currently healing.

'What do you mean "will be in trouble"! We're already in it!' he said, sounding grumpy.

'Right... but if the water continues to flow in like this...'

'Water? What water?' Only now did he realize that they were sitting in dampness. He could even hear the faint rushing of water. Orihime quickly recounted to him what happened, though leaving out the details.

'… and before they threw me in too, they've blasted some of the pipes.' she concluded.

'I see... so they plan to drown us. Have you tried rejecting yourself out of here yet?'

'No. Not yet. I didn't want to leave you... But I'm almost sure it won't work: I feel that they've put up some strong kido-kind barrier above us.'

'And I can't transform, they've taken my badge.'

'I know...

'Real astute... how annoying! Kouno must really want us dead badly! Try your rejecting anyway!'

'Now?'

'Yes, now. I don't mind if the healing is not flawless. Seems like we have very limited time.' Ichigo said, concentrating on the water. It seemed to him that he could already determine a slight rise of the level of it from since he first looked. The blasted pipe must have been a massive one...

Orihime sighed.

'Give me a few seconds more. I'm almost done to first-aid level.'

'That will be fine.' Ichigo said, his tone relaxing. When he spoke again, it was soft. 'Hey... I'm so sorry. I failed. Instead of me protecting you, YOU need to patch me up again! I should have listened to my instincts more. When I saw those guys, I felt that something was not right, but I was still stupid enough to walk right into their trap! I should have been more on my guard. This is all my fault.'

Orihime smiled, then removed her shield, though keeping her fairies out to provide light, and she leaned forward for a quick kiss.

'Stupid! Of course it's not. Or if it is, it's both our faults equally! But with months of waiting, it's impossible to always be on your guard, at every second...'

'Guess you're right. But I'll still never forgive myself! They could have done anything to you... and I wasn't there!'

'They've done terrible things to you, and I wasn't there!'

Ichigo only looked away. He went even farther, plastering himself to the farther side of their prison.

'Try your thing...' he ordered.

Orihime closed her eyes with a sigh. She tried to concentrate. A soft light surrounded her, and she knew that her body was leaving the three-dimensional space temporarily, as she tried rejecting her own presence from the darkness of the pit. But something was wrong. She felt a strange pressure, that almost hurt a little, and when she opened her eyes she fond herself next to Ichigo again.

'Told you it wouldn't work... I felt that this shield was not comparable with my powers. And it's strong. I can't get out.'

Ichigo kissed her.

'At least you tried. Any other ideas that will get us out of this?'

'Hm... I can try rejecting the whole shield.. or cutting through it.' she said doubtfully.

'Try everything.' Ichigo sad, his eyes dancing on the rough walls of the cave uneasily. The water have now risen to their waist.

A few moments later, Orihime was looking down on the hurt and pissed Tsubaki in her palms, apologizing over and over.

'… sorry! So sorry! Let me heal you, Tsubaki-kun!'

'Just quit fretting already, woman, and let me have another go! I'll cut through the shield this time for sure!'

'Wait. I just had another idea...' Ichigo said. 'I can't transform, but my spiritual pressure is intact even in human form. I never thought that some day I'll resort to this, but maybe it's time for me to try kido. Rukia could even do it in gigai.' he lifted his hands before himself uncertainly, but with a slightly excited air, like a little boy wanting to try out his father's fishing-gear for the first time in his life.

But Orihime quickly put a hand on his, looking alarmed.

'Er... Ichigo... I don't think so.'

'Why not?' he asked, looking even more excited. 'I won't try anything too difficult. Even Renji can do "Shakkaho", I'll be damned if I don't succeed... maybe it can blast us out from here! Take a big breath, and hide underwater!'

'Ichigo, no!' Orihime cried, but he was determined to try, and seeing the gathering red energy-ball grow in his palm, she decided to comply. Ichigo joined her under the water's surface as soon as he fired. There was an explosion, that racked the ground, and the water splashed angrily all around them. They surfaced, and Orihime screamed. A few boulders fell down, nearly missing her head.

'Watch out!' Ichigo cried, but his cry was drowned into chokes. Smoke, dust and burned smell polluted the air, along with heavy steam that the explosion lifted from the water.

'Ouch... that's not exactly how I meant it to be! Damn!' Ichigo cursed.

'Were you hit?' Orihime asked.

'...not by the falling rocks. My own blast backfired, and burned my hand.'

She scowled her cute pouting-scowl.

'See? Told you not to do it...'

'But I have to do something!' he retorted angrily. 'I'll try again. I just got to have the hang of it!'

'No!' Orihime cried firmly. 'You've already burnt half our oxygen with your first try. Remember Kukkaku's lessons with the cannon-ball? You would definitely need more practice to do it right, and even then, I can't help doubting that a kido of this level would succeed where my Koten Zanshun failed, even if it had your spiritual pressure behind it!'

Ichigo looked taken aback for a second. Then a sour expression took over his features.

'Yeah. You're right, of course. Absolutely right. Sorry. It's just so hard for me to sit here, without being able to do something. I hate it...'

'I understand.' she smiled. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to be this hard on you, it's just that...'

'Don't apologize. You were right to reprint me. My emotions took the better of me, I wasn't thinking rationally. But now what do we do?'

'Back to the drawing board I guess...'

For a few seconds, they sat in total silence. Only the soft rushing of the water could be heard. It's level now reached past their shoulders.

'You know, those men really could have beaten me some more...' Ichigo finally declared in a clearly irritated tone.

'Ichigo!' Orihime screamed his name in protest, but he didn't care.

'Why? Only a few more kicks and punches would have been enough, I'm sure. Then at least I would be out of my body, with a sword in hand, and could protect... Hey! That's an idea...'

Orihime looked at him confused. The excited expression from earlier at finding a new possible way of escape however was now missing form his face. Instead, there was a solemn, calculating look on his features, hardening slowly into determination. Seeing it, Orihime felt some unknown chill creep into her heart. When Ichigo spoke next, he seemed to be choosing his words very carefully.

'Orihime! I... I have an idea on how we can get out of here.'

'Really?' Orihime asked nervously.

'Yeah. But you won't like it. Before I tell you, I need to remind you, that if we don't get out of here, we'll both be DEAD. And I also want you to remember, that what ever happens, you can reverse it, as long as you're around.'

'Ichigo... I... I don't understand... I... ' she stuttered. Somehow, she felt almost paralyzed.

'To tell you the truth...' Ichigo cut across her firmly, continuing his argument. '...I'm not really interested in finding out how being suffocated to death feels like. That must be nasty. I would much rather prefer a quick slash.' Ichigo said the last sentence looking her in the eyes firmly.

Orihime remained silent, only her eyes widening as realization slowly came to her. Finally she cried out, horrified.

'NO!'

'That's the only way to do it, Orihime! That way you'll survive to relieve me. Once I'm in my soul reaper form, I can blast us out from here! I'm sorry, trust me, if there was any way for me to do it myself, I would... but unfortunately, this is the only way...'

'I refuse!' Orihime screamed.

'Listen here, Hime! Did you know, that technically... technically I die every time I exit my body? So you could say I've been dead a hundreds of times before, and no matter how weird that sounds I still live to tell the tale. If you look at it logically...'

'Logically?' Orihime's voice sounded close to hysterics. 'Sorry, but I just can't discuss your murdering "logically"!'

'Please, if you would only...'

'No more word of this!'

'But don't you see? That way both of us will die!'

'I don't care! I won't save myself like this! I just can't do it! There's got to be another way!'

'But we've already tried, and there isn't!

'I'd rather die than kill you!'

Silence settled between them, heavy and filled with suppressed, but burning emotions. S'huno and Ayame just watched this silent battle of wills between them, floating in the air above their heads with anxious expressions. Orihime cried from anger, and Ichigo scowled meaner than ever. Neither would yield, because both believed they were protecting the other. In truth, they were both protecting themselves: Ichigo could never bear the pain of not being able to save her, not even in death, and Orihime wouldn't be able to cope with the thought of having killed him, not even in life... But their time was almost up. They now had to turn their faces upwards, to keep it above water. The chance to decide would soon be denied them, if they did nothing.

'You know...' Ichigo finally began again. 'That's a little selfish of you!'

It seemed Orihime's indignation over his last comment have reached the level that was beyond words. Ichigo took advantage of that, and continued.

'Because I want to LIVE! Only you can give that to me...'

Orihime looked like she was finally wavering.

Suddenly more light surrounded them, as the rest of the Rikka flew out to join S'huno and Ayame.

'All right.' Tsubaki declared grumpily. 'This can't go on like this!'

He looked at S'huno, asking for consent. S'huno nodded back at him, then turned to Orihime.

'I'm sorry, Princess. You saw it. We already tried everything in our power.' S'huno said. 'There is nothing else we can do to help. And we won't let you die, no matter what. That is our duty, in honor of your brother's love for you...'

'Never though the day would come when I'll say this, but can't help it... what this punk ruffian says makes sense.' Tsubaki said pointing towards Ichigo, who smiled despite himself, being relieved. This was the second time he received help from the Rikka in order to save Orihime, and Sora's picture flashed through his mind for a brief moment, and he offered a silent thanks.

'No! No!' Orihime moaned.

'Come on, Princess, get yourself together!'

'I can't, I just can't!'

All six Rikka looked at each other.

'Then you leave us no choice, woman!' Tsubaki cried angrily.

'What?'

'Wait.' Baigon said. 'Give her one last chance.' he turned to Orihime with pity in his features. 'Princess... Try to understand. We will do this anyway...'

'Didn't we tell you before? We're the Princess shielding Rikka. Our first priority is your safety... even against your wishes! Even before everyone else...' Hingiku said.

'No!' Orihime cried helplessly.

'But it would be better if we didn't have to rip ourselves completely out of your command. I'm afraid of the damage that could do.' Baigon continued.

'Orihime please!' Ichigo hastened to press his point. He wildly racked his brain for whatever reassurance he could give the girl, whatever would make her understand. 'Please, let me protect you!... Have I ever told you the full story of how I became a Soul Reaper in the first place?'

Orihime closed her eyes over her burning tears. She struggled to keep her head above water, and Ichigo pulled her closer, helping her hold herself up with his steady arms on either side of her body.

'You... you took Rukia's power, because that was the only way to save your family.' she said, trembling.

'Not exactly. I took her sword, and ran myself through with it, welcoming death into my body. The very first soul I ripped apart, was my own. And Rukia told me how easily it could mean the end, and it nearly did. But I love my family too much to just leave them here, all alone, unprotected. That was what brought me back, and made me how I am. I first became a soul reaper out of my love for them, and out of the desire of protecting them. It's not any different now. I love you, I promised to protect you for forever, and I'll be damned if I don't!'

'I still can't do it...' Orihime said in a small voice. 'What if something goes wrong? What if I can't relieve you? I don't want to live without you...

Lily flew close to Orihime's tear-soaked face.

'Don't you trust us? You've got to trust us... you've got to trust your powers! We can do this!'

'Just close your eyes, and try not to think about it too much.' Hinagiku advised. 'You'll be over the worst in seconds...'

'Yeah.' Baigon seconded.

Ayame only patted her cheek consolingly, not speaking.

Orihime finally looked up, meeting Ichigo's gaze.

'I love you.' the boy said.

She opened her mouth to say the words back, but no sound came out.

'Kiss me!' Ichigo demanded, and took her mouth the next second without waiting for an answer. The whole world started to spin with her, and for the second time that day, she wished to loose consciousness, to fade into painless dark. Ichigo slowly drew back, releasing her, making space between them again. He saw that her eyes were fixed on him unseeingly, without any expression in them. Her fairies were still close to her ear, but he could no longer hear what they were saying. He closed his eyes, concentrating inside, readying himself. He had no fear inside him, only concern. Acceptance, and determination. Some healthy anger, that only made him stronger, but even more love. Yes, he was ready.

But the blow still didn't come.

'Oh, for Heaven's sake... I so hate it when she does this!' Tsubaki raged, clearly ready for action, and pissed at being held back.

Ichigo gingerly opened one eye, peaking out.

'Er... Princess?' S'huno asked tentatively.

Orihime had her hands raised before her, it the familiar stance of her attack, but she was shaking, and pressing her mouth so firmly together, that not one sound could have escaped it, let alone a healthy command.

In Orihime's head, a familiar, chilling mantra started to echo: _'What should I do? What should I do?'_ She hated this... Oh how she hated it! Was this really her fate for forever? Was she only good at holding on to and protecting bounds, not lives?

'It's no use.' Lily sighed. 'Are we going to...?'

'Yes. There's no use putting it off any more. Everyone agrees?' S'huno looked around.

Tsubaki, Baigon, Hinagiku and Lily all nodded in turn.

'Ayame?'

The littlest spirit of the six left Orihime's side last to join the others with a pained sigh.

'Maybe it's more kind this way... not letting her do it herself... I just wish she ever forgives us. And him...'

The Rikka formed a circle, and each of them raised their tiny hands. There was a blue light, and the next moment their six fists held the six petals of the hibiscus flower.

Orihime seemed to come out of her trance.

'My... my hairpins!' she cried, her hands automatically flying to her temples.

S'huno flew to Ichigo and bowed low.

'It's an honor to be working with you. You have my gratitude and high esteem. Please, command us!'

'Er... what?' Ichigo blinked stupidly.

'He means that we're willing to do this, but we need a commanding will. She's clearly not capable of it. So it has to be you. We're placing our powers into your hands.' Hinagiku explained.

Ichigo's features cleared.

'Really? Cool!'

Tsubaki hit his head in rage.

'Don't you start acting like some immature brat right now! It's only temporarily. Get yourself together. It's me you will command!'

'I know that you little pain-in-the-ass! Geez!'

Ichigo finally looked back to the helpless girl facing him, who looked competently broken.

'Ichigo... please... don't!' she pleaded again, but from the tone of her voice, she already knew it was useless.

'I'm sorry.'

Ichigo knew he had to be strong, and get this over with as soon as possible. In every other circumstance, he would have done anything to prevent such a pain showing on her face. But no matter what, he couldn't let her die. He turned back to face Tsubaki.

'Give me a clear shoot!' he told him sharply.

'The least I can do.' the spirit answered seriously.

'All right them. I guess I have to say the commanding words...' he said slowly. All fairies nodded at him. He sighed, and closed his eyes. 'Here goes. Koten Zanshun!'

…...

_A/N: Reviews are appreciated. No flames, please though._

_This chapter is dedicated to „Lady Alkina", who's kind words put me in the mood of finishing it. (Köszi, remélem kellően izgalmas volt! :-)) And to my steadiest friend from home, who's my constant companion in all kind of craziness... _


	22. Chapter 22: Friends and enemies

_Chapter 22 _

Friends and enemies

Tatsuki flew out of the car as soon as Keigo hit the breaks. She ran to the house, and started banging on the door with spirit.

'Hime? Ichigo! Come out, we're here, we've got to speak!'

But the door just swung open of it's own accord, with no Orihime or Ichigo to welcome her behind it.

'The door's unlocked. And the lights are on.' Mizuiro noted, coming behind her. 'But only a sweater on the coat-rack. I deduce they must have gone out in a hurry... Can't be far though.'

'Do you think they've got one of Jinta's messages after all? Or were otherwise warned?'

Mizuiro bit his lip.

'Or we're already too late...'

Tatsuki paled.

'Let's go out, and search for them! Asano! You can stay here, in case they come back.'

Keigo, who just arrived inside nodded unhappily. The last thing he wanted was to remain alone inside a house, where a whole yakuza group was due to arrive any minute. But he knew arguing would only make his case worse: Arisawa was pissed with him beyond measure, and wouldn't have regarded any punishment for his crime severe enough.

Tatsuki headed out, marching determinedly. Mizuiro had trouble keeping up with her. Her eyes scanned the scenery, but she more or less kept to the same direction.

'Do you have any idea where to search, or what to look for?' Mizuiro asked her after a few minutes, when they were already well inside the forest.

'Yes. I know exactly what to search for. Orihime, I could find her with my eyes closed. I'm no soul reaper or something, but I've been able to feel her presence for a long time. She is still close. Somewhere that way... If I concentrate properly, I'm sometimes even able to feel her mood too. Right now, she's desperate. And heartbroken. We need to...'

She couldn't finish her sentence. In front of them, right where she had pointed a moment ago, the earth began to shake. Creaking sounds filled the air, as a smaller tree was totally uprooted, and shot out skywards, along with a generous amount of dust and rocks. A piece of the ground bellow them was blasted apart. Water sprayed from somewhere, like sudden rain, and from the depth of the newly formed crater out flew something...

A swish of a black cloak told them it was a human. A glint of a sword's edge exacted that notion to shinigami. Ichigo landed amongst the trees, in safe distance from the violated place. He crouched down, and tried to put the shaking girl down from his arms.

'It's over... Hime! It's over.'

Orihime was sobbing. She wobbled, and she grasped onto Ichigo's shikhanso, making him fall down to the leaf-litter with her. When they were both sitting, she suddenly looked up at him, with anger, such as she had never felt before burning in her eyes.

'You!' Orihime screamed, seeming totally out of control. 'You complete Idiot, Ichigo Kurosaki!'

She was hitting his chest with her fists hard, with every word she spoke in her helpless rage, while tears rolled down her face. 'I'll never-ever forgive you for this! Never, you hear?'

Tatsuki and Mizuiro witnessed the scene totally baffled. Orihime calling Ichigo by his full name? Not to mention hitting him? But what followed, made things even more incomprehensible. Despite her evident rage, and state of totally upset emotions, the insolent Kurosaki still had the nerve to grin. Tatsuki's and Mizuiro's confusion heightened into indignation when they saw the orange top lean forward, and kiss her confidently, full on the lips. That of course managed to quiet her.

'Orihime... hey! It's all right!' Ichigo called her gently. 'Look at me...' The girl was still sobbing hysterically, trying to push him away. He kissed her a second time, quite forcefully too. She finally gave in, and pulled herself as close to his body as she could get, curling her fingers into his sikhanso tightly.

'It's all right... It's all right now.'

Ichigo started patting her head, and he kissed her forehead gently. But she freed herself from his grip, pushing his hand away, with anger again.

'Why the hell are YOU consoling ME!'

'Orihime!' Tatsuki couldn't help crying out, outraged. She would undoubtedly have to have a few conversations with her so called childhood friend, this idiot Kurosaki, and right after murdering him because of taking advantage of an innocent girl, and teaching him right about treating a lady in his care fine, she would find opportunity to kick his butt for teaching her swearing...

The two looked up.

'Tatsuki?' they said in union, startled out of their preoccupied predicament.

Ichigo quickly pulled back from their rather compromising position, his face heating up. But that did no good, the black haired girl was still nearing him like a fire-breathing dragon. She only stopped, when six dots of shiny lights, like tiny fireflies flew past her. The Rikka all flittered to Orihime, apologizing in a confusion of mixing together words. Except for Tsubaki, who landed on Ichigo's shoulder, pretending to scoff.

'Tsk. Like I'm gonna apologize. See when that happens.'

Ichigo grinned at him, nudging him a little with one finger.

'Hey... thanks. You're good. For a small fry...' he teased.

'Say that again, you...' Tsubaki cursed, but Ichigo just grabbed him, and tossed him right into Orihime's open palm. The girl just looked at the little fairy with her large, still teary, uncertain eyes. Tsubaki's air changed instantly. He suddenly looked like he was scared. Which certainly was a new thing... The tiny spirit wavered. Then he gave in. There was no use denying such eyes. He bowed low.

'I'm really, truly sorry for causing you pain, my mistress. I'll never do it again, if there's one way around it...'

Orihime bit her lip in a brave effort to finally put an end to her crying. But her voice was still rather unsteady as she spoke.

'Will you give it back to me now? My power. I've got to put him back together!' she said, with a side glance in Ichigo's direction. He flinched visibly at the way she had said "him". 'As fast as I can! I won't be able to calm down until I've done that!' she added.

'Of course.' said S'huno.

Orihime's hairpins glittered back in their places a moment later. She raised her hand, feeling them. Then she quickly stood up, wanting to head for what was left of the pit. But she stopped suddenly, turning back, and locking eyes with Ichigo, who likewise seemed startled, like he had just felt something.

'Er... Tatsuki? Mizuiro? Did you happen to bring Keigo with you too?' Ichigo asked.

'Yes... Why?'

The soul reaper stood up quickly. Orihime came closer.

'My shield...' she breathed hurriedly.

Ichigo nodded.

'Yes. That's the quickest.' he agreed.

Orihime extended her hand for him, and he grabbed it securely in his.

'Come on, Hime... lets put an end to all of this. You and I.' Ichigo said, and the two of them vanished from before the eyes of the baffled Tatsuki and Mizuiro.

…...

Keigo was running for his life.

'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!' he cursed all the while. 'Oh, what was I thinking messing in things of the insane powered! Just let me live this once, and I promise... Yayks!'

He stropped abruptly startled by a tall man appearing right in front of him. His feet got caught in something, and he fell face down into the dirt. The two chasing him cornered him quickly.

'And who you might be?' Kouno asked angrily. 'A soul reaper? A quincy? Urahara's soldier?'

Something blasted the ground right next to the shaking Keigo. He screamed, putting both hands above his head protectively, his body curling up.

'Human! I'm just a mere human! Please...'

'Indeed.' Kouno commented disgustedly. 'I'll take that back.' he said simply, pointing to Ichigo's substitute badge inside Keigo's grasp. When they had taken care of Ichigo and Orihime by the pit, Kouno had wanted to find their mobile phone, to send a nasty greeting to his long friend Urahara... So they had gone to the house in search of it. Poor Keigo had hid himself behind one of the armchairs when he had heard them enter, and it just happened, that Kouno had carelessly put the badge down while typing the text. And it had just occurred to Keigo to redeem himself slightly by an attempt at a foolishly heroic act...

Keigo looked up at Kouno standing above him, with his trembling receding.

'This belongs to a friend of mine. What have you done to him?' he asked.

Kouno forced the badge out of his hand, and tossed it at one of his men.

'Why would that matter to you right now? I certainly won't bother setting such a dramatic stage for you, when killing you... Soga! Just behead him!'

Keigo's trembling returned, worse than ever.

'Oh, please! Oh, no! I'm too young to die!' he started crying pitifully.

Soga however was not a man of much mercy. He stepped closer, raising his sword with a grin. His blade was stopped however, by another one suddenly crossing it.

'That's the only thing you're capable of, Kouno? Taking advantage of the weaponless? Fight me, face to face, you coward!' Ichigo said with evident rage, though his impossibly colored bangs hid most of his features from view.

'Can't be!' Kouno screamed. 'How do you come back from your graves?'

Meanwhile Keigo felt an unexpectedly gentle touch take hold of his wrist. Orihime quickly secured him inside the range of her transporting shield, and reappeared with him several steps away, outside of Kouno's or his men's reach.

Kouno threw a glance at one of his men behind him. The man immediately rushed to attack Ichigo, only to find his way blocked by Orihime's Smiten Kosshun shield, which she didn't hesitate in casting as soon as her fairies have finished their previous duty. (She was aware by now that while her Smiten Kosshun combined Tsubaki's firepower with her defensive shield, her new, still nameless technique united the rejecting power her Soten Kisshun gave with yet again Tsubaki's fastness, so it's casting required S'huno's, Ayame's and Tsubaki's availability at the same time.)

Ichigo wasted no time, he promptly kicked Soga, breaking three of his ribs with one move. The man fell down, choking blood, and wasn't likely to participate any further in the battle of the day. Ichigo took care of two others with the same ease, and the rest (some of them probably only mere human) fled. Ichigo grinned, satisfied. He wouldn't let Kouno play him the same game twice. This time it would be just the two of them...

Kouno seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and it looked like such chances were not at all to his liking. Through the years, he had gotten completely professional in playing dirty, and could see the disfavoring result approach should he let himself be forced into a clean situation. So he went for the only option he though was open for him. He had always been good with strategy...

He stole a glance in Orihime's direction, noting that she indeed was watching, then he said:

'I trust you remember that all I need for victory is one single scratch, substitute soul reaper.'

He aimed a blow for Ichigo, who parred it well, but he also used his other hand to prepare the firing of a kido. Ichigo was of course forced to focus his defense on that next. He stepped back, and withheld the force of the power-blast with Zangetsu. Orihime saw that Kouno's dangerous weapon was left unguarded for a moment, and she quickly cast her protective shield to aid her love. But this was what Kouno had been waiting for. With a quick flash-step, he appeared before the unprepared, protectionless girl, hauling her body before himself as a shield. Orihime cried out, surprised.

'Orihime!' Ichigo screamed.

'Hah! So easy to figure out. So predictable.' Kouno grinned, feeling secure again, back on his well known side of the playground. 'Now... should I tell you what will happen now? Let's see... I'll cut the girl. Or maybe I'll run her through completely, just for the fun of it, but I won't kill her. You of course would be able to do nothing, least that meant the end. Then while she's screaming in agony, I'll murder you with my kido, before her eyes. Then I'll take my leave. Maybe I'll let her live... She is kind of fractionating, you know, with this unusual power of her's. Goodby, substitute soul reaper. Got to admit: you've given it a decent try. But in the end, you just couldn't beat the great Kouno!'

While Kouno was speaking, Ichigo and Orihime was looking into each others eyes, communicating silently. Right at that moment, there came some noise from amongst the trees behind them.

'Ah! And here comes Mr Punchline himself! Great timing, Urahara! Did you get my message?' Kouno laughed. 'As you can see I need to correct the contents of it a little. I haven't jet achieved my revenge after all, but I'm right at the very brink of it!'

Urahara stepped out of the shadows, closely followed by others. Isshin, Chad, Uryu, Tatsuki and Mizuiro were all there.

'Give it up, Kouno.' Urahara said gravely. 'We are too many. You'll never get away, if you do murder them. Let's be reasonable, and make a new treaty...'

The edge of Kouno's blade was only millimeters away from Orihime's neck. But she didn't look scared, more like concentrating on something.

'Sorry, not interested this time.' Kouno smiled. 'I'll take my chance, if you will.'

He started chanting the kido's lines. Urahara paled. It was a rather high leveled one, able to blast the whole forest apart, not only Ichigo. Ichigo suddenly charged forward, crying out loudly and desperately. He lifted Zangetsu above his head.

'Getsuga...'

Everyone cried out, thinking he was mad. Orihime was still in the way! And by the looks of it, this was no bluff: all of Ichigo's power was really in that move... Kouno tried to secure his hold on the girl but he suddenly found his fingers closing on thin air. He turned around, and his stunned eyes fell on her figure standing right behind him, looking at him with fierce, determined eyes.

'Koten...'

'...Tenso!'

'...Zanshun!'

Kouno was helplessly caught between Orihime's and Ichigo's attack. The two force's collision shook the ground beneath their feet. They had a fleeting glimpse of Kouno's body, being slashed completely in half, before the force of Ichigo's power engulfed it in fire, turning all to ashes. Not even bones remained of him.

…...

'So Kouno have trapped you two down there, wanting to drown you...' Isshin resumed their story a little later, when they were already walking back to the pit. 'But how did you manage to get out? We've found your substitute badge with one of the men we took care of near the main road... How were you even able to transform without it?'

Ichigo scowled heavily.

'Never mind, Dad...'

'What do you mean, never mind?'

Isshin headed for the pit, wanting to investigate.

'Kurosaki-san, please... Don't go there.' Orihime begged, much alarmed.

Isshin sent Ichigo a questioning look.

'Erm... my body is... injured.'

'Then maybe I can help!'

'Badly injured.' Orihime interjected fearfully.

'All the more reason for me to see!'

'Dad...' Ichigo tried.

'Nonsense! I'm a doctor, remember? A little blood can't disturb me! How bad can it be?'

Isshin stopped at the edge of the pit. He looked down. His trademark idiotic grin was wiped off his face in an instant.

'Oh, my...' he commented, putting a hand before his mouth, while his eyes bulged unhealthily.

Ichigo went next to him, looking down too, much more calmly.

'Yes, this is officially the worst ever... Lucky I have my own special "doctor"...'

Orihime came closer too. Both Kurosakis grabbed her when she wanted to look too.

'Let me through!'

'You don't have to look, just send your powers...' Isshin advised, his voice shaky.

'Oh yes I have! I'm gonna take a good, throughout look. So that I would never forget...' she said fiercely, looking Ichigo directly in the eyes.

'Orihime...' Ichigo suddenly embraced her. But she remained stiff, unmoving in his arms. 'I thought I was already forgiven...' he murmured into her hair.

Orihime made a little snorting sound of disgust.

'Let me through.' she repeated firmly.

The two Kurosakis moved. She went to the very edge of the pit, and looked down. Her mouth was pressed together firmly and she was as pale as a ghost, but she didn't make any sound. She really did look for a long time.

'I'm sorry.' Ichigo whispered, stepping close to her, but not daring to touch.

'You're wrong...' she said in a level voice.

'Sorry?'

'Soten Kisshun!' she commanded, activating her powers. Then she turned to face him, with an unexpected, grim half-smile. 'There WAS worse... And I might just consider forgiving you, if this works. Now, move back, and let me concentrate properly.'

Isshin laughed a shaky laugh. Ichigo only stared, confused, lost for words.

A little farther, Uryu, Chad, Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo looked at each other with wonder.

'That's new.' commented Chad briefly.

'You're right, Sado.' Uryu seconded. 'Got to admit, I'm a little confused... Is this really the same Inoue-san we released into hiding with that Moron a few month back?'

'Yeah...' Mizuiro said. 'Confident. Womanly confident.'

Tatsuki started giggling.

'Oh, I don't know about all, but SOME improvement in her certainly seems to be for the better. She must have learned a few tricks about disciplining men...'

Finally Orihime stepped back from the pit.

'All right. Clean cuts like this are easy to mend.' she said wanting to seem off-hand. 'At least on the outside...' she added, looking more disturbed.

'I'm sure, it's flawless.' Ichigo reassured her.

Orihime shook her head unhappily.

'Try it. That's the only way to be sure.'

Ichigo had half mind to kiss her again, before going, as another attempt at peacemaking, but he had a feeling she still wouldn't approve of it. (She was facing away from him, with her eyes closed firmly.) And anyway: they had audience. So he sighed, and just flash-stepped into his body to save himself the trouble of climbing down.

'Uuh!'

Orihime unfroze instantly, running to the edge and looking down desperately.

'Ichigo! What is it? Are you all right? Is it hurting somewhere? Ichigo!'

'Of course I'm all right.' came his calm answer from bellow, his voice slightly reverberating on the blasted walls. 'It's just... damp, cold, and... disgusting! A countless of times I have sit in my own blood, but never like this...'

Orihime extended her hand hurriedly, lowering it for him to hold, nearly falling in herself in her eagerness. Ichigo grabbed it, and climbed out, his clothes a clear proof of his earlier statements. Uryu's eyes narrowed seeing the horizontal slash go all the way through his jacket and the sweaters under that.

'No way...' he murmured.

Orihime didn't consider the state of his robes, she just jumped into his arms, hiding her face. Ichigo smiled a relieved smile.

'Well, all's in order... I suggest we go back to good old Karakura.' Urahara said cheerfully. 'I would be happy to take everyone, but we can't leave the cars...'

Orihime and Ichigo looked at each other uncertainly. Everything had happened so fast... Only a few hours ago they were preparing to have breakfast together, as usual.

'I have a suggestion, Kisuke...' Isshin suddenly said. 'I'll drive Tatsuki-chan, Keigo and Mizuiro home safely by your car. I suspect they are not very accustomed to flying carpets. You can take Sado and Ishida. I think that funny as it is, even after months spent together, those two (he pointed to the hugging pair) still need a few moments... Not to mention a good hot bath, and a change of clothes. Doctor's orders!' he smiled. 'And if I may be as bold to add, Orihime-chan, I would assure you that if my idiotic son would have the balls to bring home a third daughter for me again to live with us, it would certainly be to my liking.'

Ichigo was much amazed. Could it be possible that his father had just behaved tactful and considerate for once? He felt really grateful, and relieved.

'Thank you, Kurosaki-san!' Orihime said, highly embarrassed.

Tatsuki gave an impatient, disagreeing sound.

'It's not like she hasn't got any female friends to take her... I already discussed it with Mom.'

Urahara cleared his throat.

'The main thing is, that there's no more hurry or anxiety. We can decide everything in due time...'

'Let's go then... Before Inoue-san freezes. ' Mizuiro prompted.

'Oh, I'm just relieved I won't be the one driving this time...' Keigo sighed. 'My hands are still shaking! It's really no joke, when someone tries to behead you!'

Everyone laughed.

'It's not like it would have been a big loss... your big head.' Tatsuki teased, but she smiled at Keigo, who felt relieved that he needn't fear her wrath for betraying her friend's hideout in his stupidity any longer.

'Thank you, everyone.' Ichigo said. 'I got just one question left. Who's got my badge?'

'That would be me.' Uryu declared, throwing it back to him. 'And Kurosaki... Just an advice.' Uryu threw a quick glance down on Orihime, who was still plastered to Ichigo's side. 'Stick to it next time...'

'Very funny...' Ichigo scowled, wondering briefly how much the quicy's sharp mind have reduced.

They went back to the house together. Ichigo and Orihime felt the need of the aforementioned hot bath more pressing with every step they took. The adrenaline in her system had kept Orihime from shivering so far, but she did now. Ichigo felt no better, and the hugging they kept up all the way was partly from physical need.

Ichigo still found the strength to discuss some pressing things concerning the house with Mizuiro, and threw a few friendly comments to the others. Likewise, Orihime had time to console Tatsuki a little about her "outcast life" with Ichigo not having been a complete disaster. So when they finally arrived, they were more or less ready to say goodby. Urahara's group departed first, then Isshin rushed the others into Urahara's car. He lagged behind suspiciously though, waving to Ichigo for a private word, who felt his stomach sink. He was sure this would be something uncomfortable, to say the least. And sure enough...

'Ichigo my boy...' Isshin whispered into his ear. 'I just want you to know... well, if you haven't already fond it yet, that I always keep a box of condoms hidden in the glove-compartment of my car...'

Ichigo turned red from anger instantly.

'Damn it old man! How weird can you get? And here I was thinking that you had been a bit cool earlier, but now you just have to ruin it all!'

Isshin just jumped out of his arm's reach, laughing.

'What can I say? I've got an image to preserve, haven't I? Bye, my little pair of cooing doves!' he added, making Orihime red too. 'Don't stay too long!'

…...

_A/N: A fast update as an apology for my complete ignorance of this story for so long... As you can see, this is almost the end too, only one (maybe two) chapters left. _

_I know how you all must have enjoyed Ichigo and Orihime beating the crap out of Kouno in perfect harmony... :-) Please review!_


	23. Chapter 23: Goodbye to the house

_A/N: About the rating. It's probably nothing more detailed than what you've already read in the story so far. I just wanted to be secure. So I guess it really is a mild-mild "M". _

_Otherwise, you'll just drown in fluff... _

_Chapter 23_

Goodbye to the house

'Quick! Quick! Quick!' Orihime couldn't help whispering, as she turned and ran towards the house the instant the car rounded the corner. She uttered a surprised little scream, when Ichigo suddenly scooped her up into his strong arms to carry her inside.

'I have a slight déja vu about this... almost drowning, almost freezing to death, and now we'll end up under the shower, just like that time.' he said.

'Well, shower's a good thing.' she managed to get out through chattering teeth.

'Yes, it is. Particularly, a joint shower. And I really don't mind you being fully conscious this time.' he teased.

Orihime's breathing and pulse rate steadily mounted after this, with every step he took. When inside the bathroom, Ichigo put her down, to turn the shower on, and adjust the water's temperature. When he was done, he surprised her yet again with grabbing her around the waist, pushing her inside, and plastering her confidently to the wall. Orihime moaned in relief as the first warm droplets made contact with her skin.

Ichigo waited only a second before starting to kiss her with hunger. Though his kisses were full of need, they weren't hurried, but rather throughout. His hands boldly started to undress her, and she soon followed his lead with less sure hands, fighting a loosing battle with his ruined jacket's zip.

'Oh, leave it... completely useless...' Ichigo commented, tearing his lips away from hers, and quickly stripping from all his upper clothing in one go, lifting the lot over his head. The sight of his bare chest was enough to make any girl's mouth water, but when she touched him, Orihime's hands were only in search of any trace of her attack on him, that might have left. There was nothing, however, only smooth skin.

'Told you it was flawless.' he said, smiling warmly.

'That's only your big luck.' she scowled.

'No. That's your big heart.'

They spent a complete half hour under the warm water, patiently undressing each other, until they were both completely naked. It should have felt a little weird, or awkward, since this was their first time seeing each other like that, but in truth it wasn't. It just came simply, naturally, both having been completely sure of their bound, and the fact that they belonged together. They touched each other too, in ways they had never dared before, not even on the nights they had cuddled together, beginning to explore some secrets of the primal bliss mother nature had bestowed upon mankind.

Orihime was much reluctant to put an end to this earthly heaven, but she had hopes of finding yet more pleasure after reaching their bed... So she let Ichigo lead her out. She eagerly jumped on the mattress, under the quilts, and was much disappointed to see Ichigo cover himself with a blanket, and sitting down on the crouch.

'Why the distance?' she pouted.

He grinned.

'Don't worry. I'm coming in a minute. I've just got something to discuss with you, that can't wait, and I'm afraid of your rational thinking ability being completely jammed if I would come any closer.'

Orihime blushed. She thought she knew what was on his mind. She remembered clearly of their earlier conversation, about her having to choose him, before anything really physical happened between them.

'Is it about your father's... erm... should I call that invitation?'

Ichigo laughed.

'Yes, I suppose you could. And you're right. I am thinking about that. I just want you to know, that what ever is your choice, I'll be ok with it. I completely understand if you'll chose living with Tatsuki for the moment. That would probably be the wisest, for the time being, since we would have to return to school. I'm sure living apart would change neither of our feelings. And I can be a little patient, till we graduate...'

Orihime frowned. Her heart sank, and she felt sad, disappointed and let down.

'Yes. You're right. People would talk...'

Ichigo leaned closer.

'I understand that it would bother you. I have no right to compromise you like that before all the world...'

Orihime looked at him surprised.

'I thought it would bother YOU!'

'Me? Nah! People think I'm a punk ruffian, remember?'

Orihime started giggling, revilement already entering her heart.

'And most of them think I'm a weirdo anyway, so what's the difference?'

Now it was Ichigo's turn to be surprised. He would some day enlighten her about how other people really saw her, but right now, he concentrated on what her words implied, rather than on the first meaning.

'You really mean it? You wouldn't mind? You would want to live with me, despite...'

'Wouldn't I mind? I would love to continue living with you... There's nothing I wish for more.'

Ichigo smiled radiantly, pure happiness flowing from him like sunlight. Orihime never remembered seeing him so obviously content before.

'That settles it then. You'll come with me, and we'll have to find a way to deal with Tatsuki's wrath. And let the people talk...'

'Oh, Ichigo! I'm so glad! I know how it would break my heart to be far from you for any length of time. To tell the truth, it's been a long time, since I felt **home** like this, and it's all because of you being around. Of us being together.'

'What's more, it will give me a peace of mind to know that everyone will be forced to take note of the message that this girl is taken... for forever.' he said with a satisfied grin.

Orihime's eyes rounded, sparkling magnificently.

'Forever?'

Ichigo's grin softened.

'Yes. For this life and the next.'

'For five lifetimes?' Orihime asked, leaning forward eagerly.

Ichigo shook his head slightly with the smile still remaining in place.

'Greedy, aren't we? Why exactly five?'

'Oh, I don't know... it's just a thing that's been running around in my head for a long time now... I guess that's as far as I can see ahead.'

Ichigo grinned again. It was good to see his girl returning to her slightly crazy self. That must mean she was somewhat over the day's trauma...

'For as many as you like, my Hime.'

Orihime smiled. Her heart was full of warm emotions, and she wanted to let them out, show them with embracing, kissing... She started shifting under the quilt restlessly, wishing she just had the courage to order him next to her immediately. After all, this seemed like a good point to finish the conversation. Ichigo, however was well trained in reading her hints at this point, so her lack of words didn't matter much. Not to mention that her wish couldn't have been more welcome with him at the moment. He discarded his blanket, giving her another worth-to-remember view of himself, and was hugging her close the next second.

'Ichigo...' she whispered his name, achieving a quite perfect seductive effect without any clear intention.

Ichigo's answer to that was only an unintelligent grunting sound, that nonetheless managed to convey his approval. For the first few minutes, his instincts took the better of him, and he nearly attacked her, pinning her down, kissing, licking, tasting, and feeling. The scent and smoothly welcoming feel of his freshly washed skin all around her felt truly amazing to Orihime's senses, driving her crazy. Her breathing mounted to short little gasps, with an embarrassing little moan escaping now and then. His hands weren't idle, traveling, exploring, teasing...

Her whole body's uncontrollable trembling alerted him that he should be a little more guarded.

'Sorry. I'll hold back.'

'No... it's all right...' Orihime moaned, though sounding uncertain. While such unstoppable force certainly had it's charm she couldn't help agreeing that maybe they should leave experimenting with such extreme delights to a little later. This was only their first time after all. And she needed tenderness beside lust.

'Look at me!' Ichigo whispered pleadingly, which was rather sexy, and despite her reassuring words, he indeed began to hold back, keeping up eye-contact almost all the time...

…...

'Tatsuki's gonna kill me for sure now...'

'But Ichigo! I insist! It was so generous of Kojima-kun to let us have this house. I won't return it in ruins! It's just one extra day...'

'Then you'd better call her, and talk to her, before she decides that this time I'm the one kidnapping you.' he scowled, searching for their phone.

Orihime smiled: true, they could call the others to their heart's content now. After she reassured her sister-in-heart about her being totally fine (in truth, she was more than fine, she felt like a completely different person after all the bliss of the last afternoon, continuing well into the night, finished with a good, untroubled sleep, but she wasn't gonna share that), the pair sat down to discuss their plans. Orihime vowed to clean the kitchen spotlessly clean, and they agreed to do the rest of the house together. Orihime also made a list of the items they had to replace, which meant a last trip to the supermarket.

Putting everything back to it's proper place proved more difficult than they had foreseen. It's been mounts, and their remembrance was shady in many cases.

'Um... Ichigo? How about this candlestick? Do you remember where it was originally?'

'I'm not sure... but I think it was some place silly... Oh! Yeah! It was inside the drawer with the cutlery!'

On top of their shopping-list, was a new box of condoms. Ichigo refused to use Isshin's "parting gift", opting to yet again borrow from the house's supplies, which they had already found long ago, when Orihime had cleaned some shelves in the bathroom.

'Like I'm ever gonna touch my father's stock! He's sure as hell check the first opportunity he got!'

Orihime giggled seeing his scowl.

'I though we've agreed not to mind what other people thought...'

'Other people are other people, Orihime. My father is a completely different story. Trust me: he will undoubtedly found ways to make life difficult for us.'

'That's exactly my point. We'll be living under the same roof with him. It's probably no use concealing...'

'We'll found a way to amend that, as soon as possible...' Ichigo said darkly. 'I have some money saved for that purpose exactly. I'm sure we'll be able to rent an apartment of our own together. The sooner the better...'

'That would be lovely. But, you know, it would help (she started giggling again) if you wouldn't explode into totally cute fits of boyish embarrassment every time he begins teasing you... I'm sure that's why he keeps doing it.'

Ichigo scowled again, feeling slightly hurt.

'So that's how it is, huh...'

Orihime embraced his neck, giving him a placatory kiss to the cheek.

'Don't worry about it. That's how I love you!'

…...

'Orihime! Hime? Where are you?'

'Right here...'

'Well... car's all packed, boiler turned off, the fireplace cleaned... I think we're ready.'

He found Orihime sitting on the stairs, halfway up. She had her elbows on her knees, and her eyes were lost in the distance. Even in the dim light, Ichigo noticed that they were a little too bright.

'You're not crying are you?' he asked, scowling.

She laughed softly.

'I'm sorry... I guess this will forever remain my favorite place. This lovely-lovely house...'

Ichigo hesitated about what to do.

'I'll go out to the car, and give you a few minutes to say goodby... is that ok?'

Orihime looked a little alarmed.

'No!'

She stood up, taking a stumbling step down, and Ichigo rushed to her immediately. They met at the bottom of the stairs, and she jumped into his arms with such a force, that she nearly managed to throw him off balance.

'This house is special to me because of our memories together. I'd rather say goodby with you...' she whispered.

They kept hugging for a second more, then she stepped back, uttering a little sigh, and held his hand to lead him across the living room. On one of the armchairs lay a little bag with a few of her personal items, those that she didn't want to put inside the back of the car, but would rather cradle on her knees all the way home. She secured the belt of the bag over her shoulder, and led Ichigo on, arriving to the fireplace. On the shelf above it, Sora's picture still stood. She had deliberately saved it's taking down for last. She took it into her hands now, looking at the familiar face tenderly.

'I guess you're happy for me now, Onii-chan. I'm finally safe, and returning to Karakura. And I'm gonna be so happy! I guess you don't have to fear for me ever again.' she said, with another teardrop of pure happiness appearing in the corner of her eyes. She sighed once more, satisfied this time.

She wanted to slide the picture inside her bag, but Ichigo's hand stopped her.

'Can I say just one thing too, please?'

She looked surprised, but nodded, holding out the picture to him. Ichigo took it, looking at Sora's face seriously.

'I promise to take good care of her. Really.'

Orihime started laughing, which startled him. He scowled immediately. He was being serious, and his own girlfriend was mocking him? Orihime took the picture back, smiling, and after it was safely inside her bag, she stepped to Ichigo, and standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him.

'Silly... you still feel the need to make that promise? I think you've already proved yourself...'

She smiled up at him, and waited for Ichigo's scowl to melt away. They smiled at each other.

'Ok then. Let's go home.' he said simply.

He started to lead her this time. They reached the coat-racks, and he took her jacket down, helping her inside it, like a true old-fashioned gentleman. He got himself dressed too, and fished the house's key out of his pocket. He stepped out into the cold air of the forest around. Before Orihime followed, she turned back one last time.

'Goodby, dear little house...'

…...

_A/N: Only one more chapter to go... Please don't forget to review, and make this crazy writer happy._


	24. Back to Karakura

_A/N: Hi, everyone! I'm finally here, with the FINAL chapter of „You me and this crazy world". I'll warn you: don't expect anything rational, this is pure fan-service! :-) Craziness, humor (hopefully), and shamlessly complete happy ending. _

_Hope you'll enjoy!_

_Chapter 24 _

Back to Karakura

'Good morning.' Ichigo welcomed her girlfriend into the Kurosaki household's kitchen.

A soft blush blossomed on the girl's cheeks, while she passed through the doorway, and took her seat next to Karin. Yuzu sent her a warm smile from next to the counter, where she was occupied with piling a bunch of toasts on a tray. It had already been a few days since their return from the forest house, but Orihime still felt a little awkward at being included in Ichigo's family circle like this. She supposed this feeling would stay with her for a little while longer.

Her eyes now searched for her boyfriend across the table. She screamed a soft scream of surprised delight when seeing him: his hair was finally back to it's normal orange state. True, it was a little shorter than how she really liked it, but that couldn't be helped. And it would grow back soon.

'When did you have time...?'

'Yuzu did it herself.' he said, sending a scowl in the direction of his sister. 'She said that it looked like someone's smashed a giant egg over my head...'

Both twins began giggling immediately, and Orihime quickly bit her lip to hold back her own laughing.

'Oh, I'm so sorry...'

'Never mind. At least it's finally normal again now. I really couldn't have walked through the school gates looking like that.'

It was Monday, and the day of their much dreaded return to school. Not that they dreaded the studying, or the possibility of some make-up exams, but they could imagine only too well the uproar their return after months of absence would cause among the student body.

'Oh. Yes. School today... Are you nervous too?' Orihime asked, fidgeting on her chair.

'Of course I am.' Ichigo admitted easily, with yet another scowl.

'Well, too right you should be!' Isshin announced cheerfully, while he entered and popped himself on a chair next to them. 'I can tell you: you've missed much, while being away...' His tone promised no good. It was much too amused...

'What's that supposed to mean?' Ichigo asked, suspicion awakening instantly.

Isshin burst out laughing.

'You'll soon found out for yourselves!'

Ichigo tried to turn to Karin and Yuzu for clarification, but the former quickly declared having finished her breakfast, and disappeared upstairs, while the other simply pretended to be so absorbed in putting jam on the toasts, that she wouldn't hear him.

Urahara stopped by a little later, to give Orihime the false police report on her having been kidnapped all the time, which she could present to her teachers, and some of his words seemed to shed more light on the matter.

'So? Are you two ready for going back?' Hat-and-cloaks asked.

They nodded.

'Good! But... let me warn you... Despite us trying everything to keep to the original story of Ichigo being in hospital, and Inoue-san being kidnapped, there was nothing we could do about certain... er... alternate versions surfacing by the courtesy of the phenomena most commonly known as school gossip... The true nature of them I deem more wise to leave up to you to find out for yourselves... But I suggest you gather what patience you have: hitting a few heads would only make the situation worse in this case! Remember: it's only a few months until you leave school for good. Let them think what they want! Your friends will know the truth, and the others you don't even have to concern yourself with!'

…...

'Ready, Orihime?'

'As ready as I ever will be...'

Ichigo sighed, and led his girlfriend through the school gates. No sooner they were inside, the staring began. Heads were pushed together behind their backs, sounds of excited whispering reaching their ear. Ichigo walked determinedly ahead, keeping a firm hold on Orihime's soft little hand. Even though they had previously agreed to be nonchalant about everything, it was just so much harder to do it in reality, when it felt like every single eye in a radius of 20 meters were burning a hole through them.

They went to their teacher, and gave her Urahara's and Isshin's letters, explaining about their absence. The teacher smiled in an embarrassed kind of way, and said:

'Well... this is all very nice... but I think you could have trusted ME with the truth... it's not like I would spread the rumors... No matter... Just sit down... or... clumsy me! You must want seats next to each other now... that can be arranged. And Kurosaki! I just want to say that you did the responsible thing... quite rare these days... khm! Yes.'

Ichigo kept his mouth shut firmly, only his eyebrows twitched. He felt that he wouldn't be able to "gather his patience" any more if he would ask her to elaborate... Orihime only stared confused.

So Orihime and Ichigo found themselves sitting next to each other. They were both totally shocked, still not having a clue about what was going on. They sent questioning glances to Tatsuki, but she looked irritated about something, not in the mood to explain.

Ichigo wanted to spend the lunch period with Orihime, but she was whisked away by a bunch of girls in the direction of the park, and Keigo was pulling at his arm to get him moving in the direction of their usual place on the roof.

Orihime sat down in the circle of awedly staring girls a little timidly.

'Erm... hi!'

'Orihime-chan! I can't believe it! You and Kurosaki-kun! Must be so amazing!'

'Well... yes, it is...'

'Tell me, how are you? Aren't you tired? It must be tiring, beside school, how will you manage?'

Orihime blinked. She felt like she was missing something. Why would a relationship be that tiring beside school?

'Mmm... fine... just fine!'

'Must be good that you two at least can share the burden... It really is nice of him to take responsibility, I never would have dreamed Kurosaki was this decent! Always seemed more on the punk side to me!'

'Show me your ring!'

'Ring?' Orihime asked, totally confused now. But the girls preyed her hand forward forcefully.

'What? No ring? Orihime-chan! Are you still trying to hide it? Because it's useless! Everyone already knows everything! You disappear for months, and then you return being together! It's OBVIOUS what happened!'

'And what ever others will say I'm with you! Abortion is just too cruel! You'll be fine, and I bet you will be happy! I see it in your eyes that you must be! The little one must be a bundle of joy? Is it a boy or a girl? What's his or her name?'

'I don't suppose you have any trouble when it comes to breast-feeding...'

'Was giving birth really hard? Please, Orihime-chan! We want details! We're dieing from curiosity here!'

'When did you two marry, before of after? How did he propose? Is he a good lover? Tell us everything!'

'I wanna know whether it's a cute little orange-top, like him!'

Orihime had finally understood the nature of the misinterpretation all the school seemed to be under. Her face had heated up, from embarrassment so intense she could hardly remember ever experiencing before. She had been on the verge of trying to stop the flow of questions, wanting to explain the mistake, but this last comment... It completely froze her. Her expression went blank, as her imagination suddenly ran away with her.

'… cute little orange-top.' she mumbled, with round, tearing up eyes.

oOoOoOoOo

When Ichigo finally found out the true nature of the gossips from his reluctant friends (who were anxious about his reaction, even Keigo, so they tried to tell him tactfully, before he could find it out from some less gentle source...) he immediately went to find Orihime.

Tatsuki caught up with him on the corridor.

'Come, quick! You can't just leave her to face the wrath of the girl-hyenas alone!' she cried indignantly.

'Don't worry... I'm on it!' he answered, gritting his teeth. They went out to the park together.

They neared the giggling group of girls cautiously. Orihime sat in the middle. She looked all right, but that could be deceiving. She was speaking, and everyone listened to her with so much attention, that nobody even realized their approach.

Orihime was totally lost in the blissfully happy world of her newest daydream, which was gripping, and way more amazing than what she ever had before. She felt like it opened up a window, shoving her a completely new world... Her daydreaming wouldn't have been a problem, if she had had the strength, or composure to keep it to herself. But she couldn't. It was just so fascinating, that she had to live it out fully, by speaking of it.

'… her little button nose is just the cutest thing in the world!' she was saying, her eyes misty and lost in the distance. 'And the beautiful chocolatey brown eyes! I could look into them for forever!'

'Awww!' the others cooed.

'You must bring pictures tomorrow!'

'Oh, I'm sorry... she hates the flash... we don't really have a decent picture of her yet...'

'I so like your choice of a name... I always liked "Tsuki"... it means "moon" you know... So poetic...'

'It's actually Tsukihime.' Orihime said blushing.

'Your wedding must have been absolutely amazing!' Michiru sighed. 'Only the two of you and a priest on the little lake's shore...'

Orihime sighed too.

'Yeah... it was...'

'And why don't you wear your ring?'

Orihime blushed.

'Erm... I'm afraid of loosing it...'

The girls' eyes glinted with even more excitement if possible.

'Ah! It's expensive!'

'No, it's not!' Ichigo's voice stated firmly and quite unexpectedly, coming from behind their backs. Everyone turned to him, even Tatsuki. Orihime squeaked, jumping in alarm.

'Ichigo!' she cried, blushing scarlet.

'It's more like it has a sentimental value.' Ichigo proceeded to say calmly, but with a heavy scowl in place, just for the record. The temptation to grin, seeing all the girls gawk at him stupidly, including his girlfriend was almost overwhelming, but he held on. 'It was my mother's ring. And I've been telling her it's her's now, so she can wear it.'

The girls "aww"-ed more than ever, looking at Ichigo misty eyed and drooling. Except for Orihime, who could only gawk... Ichigo stepped up to her, extending a hand.

'And now, if you'll excuse us!' he said, pulling her to her feet, and starting to lead her away. 'I'm gonna eat lunch with my "_wife_"!'

Tatsuki went with them, and when they were safely out of earshot, she began giggling, then she burst out laughing, giving Ichigo a thump in the back.

'Wow... that was priceless! Who would have thought a few month together could change you like this? You're still as insensitive and overbearing as before, but at least you've finally managed to develop a good sense of humor! Hime! I must say you deserved this now!' and she walked off contently, leaving the pair to themselves.

Orihime turned, trembling, to face Ichigo.

'What... what had just happened?'

'Well, since everyone already thinks we're married, having a daughter named "Tsukihime", I suppose it's no big deal that I just engaged you!'

She looked hesitant.

'Seriously?'

'We have already decided we would live together. For forever, or for at least five lifetimes. What were you expecting? Or... don't you want to marry me?'

Orihime squeaked, and jumped to embrace his neck in her overflowing happiness.

'Oh, Ichigo! Of course I do!'

He smiled.

'Glad to hear that. And don't worry. We don't have to marry right away, if you'd rather wait a little. But I just want to be your family from now on.'

'Thank you!... Are you mad at me?'

'Silly girl...'

…...

Facing Isshin with their news was the usual fiasco of course. But it was unavoidable...

'Oh! The joy! This is the happiest day of my life! My dear, dear daughter! I'm so glad! My idiotic son engaged! Never thought it would happen! He's so headstrong and cold, and totally undeserving! Not to mention him ruining the good features he inherited from me with wearing that mean expression all the time! I really thought that no girl in their right minds would have him, and that the burden of trying to tame him would forever rest with me... And to actually be engaged as early as this! To such a beautiful, angelic creature like yourself! Simply ungraspable! Masaki! Can you hear this? Our boy has finally grown up into a man! I think I'm gonna die from joy! We're going to have grand-kids after all...'

Isshin just went on and on, like he never wanted to stop. Orihime listened at first, with a happy smile, but then she noticed how Ichigo was edging away from them, to take hold of the back of a seat. He was gripping it so tightly, that his knuckles shined white. He closed his eyes, and his lips were moving silently. Orihime didn't know what to think about this, so she went closer (Isshin was too busy rapturing to notice anyway), and asked him in whisper:

'What are you doing?'

'Counting.'

Isshin was now giving Orihime a short little user's guide to Ichigo's handling...

'… and don't forget: a smack on the head can do wonders any time! As for waking him up in the morning, the best way...'

'Why are you counting?'

'Orihime...' Ichigo said turning a suffering expression on her. 'I'm at 78 now. I know I promised you that I would behave, but if I reach to a hundred, and he's still keeping this up, am I allowed to smash his nose?'

Orihime giggled.

Isshin now reached to the part of his lecture, where he thought the bringing forward of the photo-album was necessary. This was the last straw for Ichigo.

'Oi, old man! Quit with your nonsense, and just give the thing here already! You'll still have plenty of time to embarrass me further after it! I want to see if it fits.'

'Of course!' Isshin grinned.

He flew to his closet, and returned a few seconds later, with a little jewel-box.

'Are you sure Yuzu and Karin are ok with me wearing it?' Orihime asked nervously.

'Absolutely. We had long ago agreed it would belong to me someday, to give away.' Ichigo answered.

Isshin opened the box, and took out Masaki's ring. He looked at it, smiling fondly, the he stepped to Orihime, searching for her hand. But Ichigo grabbed a fistful of his hair from behind, pulling mercilessly, wearing the meanest scowl he could muster.

'Just what the hell are you doing, you crazy pain in the ass? I believe it's me, who's engaging her!'

Isshin whined, but he managed to get out of Ichigo's hold, dancing away with the ring.

'All right! All right! Of course you're the one engaging her! And you must do it properly.'

'Give it here!'

'First thing's first: go down on your knees...'

'Like I'd ever do that!'

'Look up at her, with puppy eyes...'

'Enough already!'

'And say...'

But Ichigo's patience have reached it's limit, and his elbow did smash his father's face.

'Bahw! Bud de thing is dill mine!' Isshin announced happily, jumping out of further harm's way, holding the ring high above his head.

'Uh! Why do you have to be such a nonsense all the time! I want to do this my way!' Ichigo bellowed. 'Fine! I was planning to take the whole family plus Tatsuki out to dinner to celebrate later, but you completely ruined my mood!'

Hearing this, Isshin promptly presented the ring without further teasing.

Next day at school, every girl in class could admire the beautiful little addiction on Orihime's finger, which fitted it perfectly...

oOoOoOoOo

Life returned to peaceful normality after this. (Well, as peaceful as it ever was in Karakura, with the occasionnal hollow attacks and such...) Orihime grew more and more attached to her new home with every passing week. She loved being part of a family, and having the opportunity of playing the role of a big sister for Karin and Yuzu. But Ichgio didn't bare too well with his father's constant pestering, and truth be told, she also missed the intimacy the two of them had developed being secluded in that little forest house. So they frequently talked about how to start their future together, once school was over.

Orihime managed to find herself a new part-time job. It was in another bakery, witch to her delight also sold ice cream, and had a very generous variety of doughnuts... So she really had the time of her life there.

Ichigo went back to his former work. Though Unagia-san ranted and raged, she was really glad to have him back. Ichigo and Orihime tried saving up together, to be able to rent a little apartment of their own after graduation. It was no question that they would both continue their studies staying in Karakura town.

Kon was in no hurry to return from his exile in Soul Society, being content to be staying with Rukia in the Kutchiki manor, but he eventually did, bringing them their shinigami friend's well wishes. It's needless to say that the mod soul remained the same as ever, except that his plushy body looked a little more shabby, probably due to Rukia's disciplining methods.

One day, only a week before graduation, they received an invitation from Urahara-san, saying he had some matters to discuss with them. Much to Ichigo's annoyance, his father also accompanied them, when they went. Tessai let them in, and once they arranged themselves around Urahara's low table, the shopkeeper just wordlessly tossed an envelope into Ichigo's lap.

'What's this?' he asked, baffled.

'I took the liberty, and changed your reward from Soul Society currencies to good old Yen for you. There was a bounty reward on Kouno's head. See for yourself.' Urahara answered.

Ichigo took the offered envelope from the shopkeeper, and peered inside. His brows disappeared under his hairline as he studied the crispy notes, clearly just out from under the printing machine. Orihime couldn't resist the urge, and she looked too.

'Wow! So much? I never would have thought...'

'We think that this money is only technically Ichigo's, since you deserve it just as much as him!' Isshin said, turning to her. 'But... I guess we don't have to worry about sharing it any more. You can just arrange everything for yourselves now. Am I right?'

Orihime beamed. Then they all looked at Ichigo who was still fixing his eyes at the money, as though paralyzed.

'Ichigo?' Isshin asked, concerned.

'I do have one question...' the orange-head began slowly.

'Yes?' Urahara asked, sensing his slight turning towards himself.

'If this much was on Kouno's head... then how much was on Aizen's?

Urahara grinned. He sent a fleeting look to Isshin who also grinned in turn.

'We thought you'd never ask!'

This time it was Isshin, who extracted an envelope from the pocket of his coat. He tossed it at Ichigo, who caught it, tearing it open.

'Just so you know... I've never spent any of it. I was intending to give it to you, once you turn legally adult.'

Ichigo folded out the papers inside. They belonged to a bank account, under his own name... His eyes traveled down to the bottom of the page, searching. When he found what he was looking for, he only paled slightly, but otherwise didn't give any signs of emotion.

'Forget about renting an apartment, Hime!' he said seriously. 'I'm buying you a HOUSE!'

THE END

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: Well that's all folks! I think Ichigo and Orihime deserve everything I decided to give them after what they've been through... :-)_

_Thanks for reading! This is your last chance to make me happy: please spare a moment to review! _

_Wishing everyone the best!_

_Iris_


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